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Simcoe County Pioneer and 

/ 

Historical Society. 



PIONEER PAPERS~No. 1 



NORTH YORK PUBLIC UttAtf 
MM 

BARRIE : 

Published by the Society. 

1908. 



CONTENTS. 



PAGE. 

Justices of the Peace. JUDGE ARDAGH 5 

Sunnidale Fifty Years Ago GEO. SNEATH 7 

Recollections of Moses Hayter, the First 
Jailer S. L. SOULES 14 

Early Days in Oro LT.-COL. O BRIEN 22 

Notes of Barrie s First Residents before 1837- 

GEO. SNEATH, S. L. SOULES, W. H. 

HEWSON AND OTHERS 28 



\j[7HEN making this selection from the various 
manuscripts in the possession of the Society, 
the Committee adopted for publication mostly 
those by authors who have passed away ; and in 
the three cases thus adopted, portraits of the au 
thors appear with the articles. For the rest, their 
aim was to make the subjects spread over as wide 
a territory as the materials at hand would permit 
them to do. The papers are taken from the 
proceedings of the Society, but it is not meant 
that this should be a rule or precedent to govern 
them in the issue of future publications. 

THE PUBLICATION COMMITTEE. 



PIONEER PAPERS. 



JUSTICES OF THE PEACE. 

COMPILED BY His HONOR, JUDGE ARDAGH. 

Names of Justices on a Commission of the Peace for the County 
of Simcoe, in "Our Home District," dated First November, 
1831. (The original spellings have been preserved.) 

(Simcoe, 1831.) 

Wm. Wooden, Thos. Cumersell Anderson, James M. Hamil 
ton, Edward O. Bairn, John E. White, Edward Favel Davis. 
Malcolm Ross, Arthur Carthew, Charles Stanley Monck, James 
Adam, Robert Oliver and William Petty (Betty) McVity. 

Simcoe, 1835. (Special,) 

Captain John Moberly, William Cayley, St. Andrew St. John, 
James Gardner, Thos. Workman, Charles Rankin, Michael Mc- 
Donell and Charles McVittie, "all of the County of Simcoe, 
Esquires," to keep the Peace in and throughout our Home Dist 
rict. 

The Commissions for 1833 and 1837 respectively are in. 
eluded amongst the Justices for the entire Home District. But 
owing to the fact that the addresses of those named are not given- 
it is difficult to separate with precision the names of the Simcoe 
Justices. 



The first Commission of the Peace for the new District was 
issued on the i8th of March, 1843. Sir Charles Bagot was then 
Governor-General, the Hon. Robt. Baldwin, Attorney-General, 
and the Hon. Samuel Bealey Harrison, Provincial Secretary. 
The last named was the author of "Harrison s Digest," (at which 
time he was an English Barrister) , and subsequently Judge of the 
County of York. 

This Commission contained only seven names; these were: 
James Robert Gowan (District Judge), James Adam, George 
Lount, Elmes Steele, John Moberly, James Dallas and Jacob 
Irving (Warden of the new District) . 



PIONEER PAPERS. 



On the 8th of July in the same year a new Commission is 
sued, appointing as Justices of the Peace the following: James 
R. Gowan (Judge), Edward O Brien, James Adam, George 
Lount, John Dawson, Elmes Steele, John Thompson, Frederick 
Stephens, John Moberly, Edmund Lally, James Wickens, Sr., 
James Wilson, Gerald Alley, Jacob M. Irving, Andrew M. J. 
Durnford, Frederick Dallas, Charles Thompson, Adam Goodfel- 
low, Wm. Charles Hume, John Austin, Patrick Patton, Wellesley 
Richey, William Martin, Matthew Coates, William Campaigne, 
James Darling, Alex. Lewis, James Speers, Benjamin Ross, Thos. 
West, Hugh Gilmour, John Robinson, John Craig, Richard Dru- 
ry, Andrew Moffatt, William Armson, John Carswell, Thomas 
Keenan, Wm. McLaughlin (Michael was intended), Edwin Slee, 
Peter White, Chas. Partridge, David Soles, John Garbutt, John 
Stewart, Michael Ryan, Donald Cameron, Joseph Hodgson, 
James Scott, Benjamin Hawke, Gustavus Hamilton, Benj. West, 
Andrew Cunningham, Wm. Thorpe, James Johnson and Wm. 
Stephenson, 56 in all. 

Of these we do not know that any survive but the first nam 
ed, the present Sir James R. Gowan. 



PIONKEK PAPERS. 



A FEW NOTES ON THE TOWNSHIP OF SUNNIDALE 
AS I FOUND IT FIFTY YEARS AGO, AND MY 
JOURNEY TO IT. 

(Written in 1897.) 
By George Sneath, Esq. 



At that time it was uncertain how the Township came by its 
name. It was an inappropriate name, for the Township was so 
thickly wooded and the foliage so dense that it was impossible for 
the sun to penetrate through and make Sunny dales. 

There is a legend in connection with the naming of th e 
Township: A short time before it was surveyed, (1831-2) a 
party of surveyors and sportsmen left Toronto early in October 
to explore and hunt over the tract of Country lying between Lake 
Simcoe and the Nottawasaga Bay. Arriving at the little Village 
of Barrie they took up quarters at the King s Arms, a small log 
hotel kept by the late John Bingham, and stayed there for a day 
or two laying in a stock of provisions and making arrangements 
for an extended stay in that hitherto unexplored tract of Country. 

Starting on their expedition, they had not long left Barrie 
until they found themselves in the solitude of the bush and in a 
sportsman s paradise. On the second morning after leaving Bar 
rie, they considered it necessary that one of their number should 
return to that village and get assistance to take away the game 
they had killed, as wolves were numerous and following in their 
tracks and destroying it. 

A young gentleman lately from England, a visitor at Govern 
ment House, who had joined the party at Toronto, volunteered 
to return to Barrie and get the required assistance. He did not 
expect to find any difficulty in retracing his way back to the vil 
lage. He was cautioned by his friends not to loose sight of the 
trees they had blazed as they went along. He expected to make 
Barrie easily before night, but he had not travelled long before he 
lost sight of the blazed trees. He tried in every direction to find 
them again but failed. He was lost in the bush and became be 
wildered, travelling at his greatest speed, he knew not whither, 
until night closed on him. Tired and hungry, he laid himself 
down; but he dared not sleep for fear of wild animals. His 



8 PIONEER PAPERS. 



thoughts carried him far away to loving friends, a dear mother, 
and one dearer still, if that could be, whom he would never see 
again, for there was no chance of him finding his way out; his 
flesh would be eaten by wild animals and his bones would lie and 
bleach in this dreadful wilderness. Welcome daylight came at 
last after the longest night he had ever spent, and with it renew 
ed hopes that he might still find his way out. He commenced 
again his weary tramp but in what direction he knew not, as un 
fortunately the sky was clouded over, obscuring the sun and he 
carried no compass. He travelled on and on through the ever- 
bewildering and unchanging woods until night overtook him 
again, despondent and worn out with fatigue and hunger. Not 
caring now what happened him, he lay down and slept until day 
light. When he opened his eyes what met his view? Could it 
be real or was he dreaming? A beautiful young girl, a squaw, 
was standing over him viewing him in amazement. After silent 
ly viewing each other in wonder for some time, he spoke to her 
but she did not understand him; neither did he understand what 
she said. He tried to make her understand that he was lost and 
dying of hunger. She made signs to him to follow her. She led 
him to an Indian Village not far away where he was made wel 
come and his wants attended to. 

He was the guest of the Indians until he regained his strength 
again and was a general favorite with the tribe. The young 
squaw who found him was the daughter of the chief. She be 
came very friendly with him and gave him to urderstand thct. 
she would like to become more than a friend to him. 

He begged the Indians to guide him to where he could find 
his friends. But they were loath to part with him. They offer 
ed that if he would only stay with them he should have the beaut 
iful young squaw, the chief s daughter, for his wife and should 
eventually be made the chief of the tribe. He told them that 
could not be for he had already plighted his troth to a beautiful 
white squaw far away over the big waters and he must go and 
redeem his pledge. They finally agreed on the promise of bijr 
pay to take him in a canoe to Penetanguishene. He pacified the 
young squaw for her loss of him by placing on her finger a valu 
able gold ring which he himself had worn. 

Arriving at Penetanguishene he lost no time in making his 
way to Barrie and from there to Toronto to ease the minds of 
his friends as news had been sent to them that he was lost in the 
bush. His friends received him with open arms. The lost one 
was found. 

In describing to his friends the Indian village where he had 



PIONEER PAPEKS. 



been so well received and entertained, he told them "that it was 
beautifully situated in a sunny dale close to a big river and in 
sight of the lake." The Governor answered that that solved a 
question which had been bothering him. A Township was 
about to be surveyed there and he had been requested to give it a 
name. He had been at a loss to know what to call it; now that 
was settled; it would be called Sunnidale, after the sunny dale 
of the Indian village which would likely prove to be within the 
boundaries of the new Township. 

Half a century ago I became acquainted with Sunnidale and 
its people 25 families all told. My first journey to it I made on 
foot from Barrie, 26 miles. In travelling I had only Hobson s 
choice, for there were no railroads and no stage coaches; there 
were no horses to be hired, and unfortunately I did not own one. 

I left Barrie, then only a small village, on a fine June mor 
ning (1847?) with a determination to reach the end of my jour 
ney in a few hours. I prided myself on my locomotive ability, 
but I had no idea of the kind of road I had to travel over. The 
road had been opened out some years previously by Government 
from Barrie to the Nottawasaga Bay and called "The Sunnidale 
Road." A large part of the road was over swamps which had 
been crosswayed with logs and was anything but easy and safe to 
travel over. 

Six miles on my way I reached Root s Tavern, then "Upper 
Settlement," Vespra, now "Grenfell," and was pleased with the 
opportunity of getting a rest and having a chat with the genial 
landlord, Dudley Root, who told me some very big wolf and 
bear stories, and wondered at my temerity in travelling alone 
through such a country and not even carrying a gun. "You may 
just as likely as not come across wolves and bears and then 
where will you be?" said he. 

I left the tavern, I must own, a little faint-hearted, from 
what I had heard, and proceeded on my way. It was mosquito 
time too and this road had the reputation of being infested with 
myriads of the largest and most blood-thirsty mosquitos in the 
country, and I found there was no exaggeration. After fifty 
years I have a most vivid recollection of that journey and of 
those mosquitos which accompanied me. 

After leaving Root s, I travelled some twelve miles, all 
woods, without meeting a single person, and not a little afraid 
that I might encounter wolves and bears, which I did not, but I 
had to fight the mosquitos for all I was worth, until I reached 
"Old Rachel s Tavern" on the outskirts of Sunnidale, tired and 
hungry. Rachel McNeill and her husband Alex, kept the tav- 



10 PIONEER PAPERS. 



era at Brentwood of the present day, at least she did and Alex, 
was her man to be ordered around. The surroundings forbade 
me resting long or eating at all. Rachel was a good old soul and 
many a weary traveller, not so fastidious as myself , was helped on 
his way, rested and refreshed by her. 

A few miles farther on my way I reached Conners Tavern 
and a swarm of mosquitos along with me. The landlady forbade 
me the house with my company and would not allow her door to 
be opened. She called to me to run as fast as I could for a piece, 
dodge into the bush, then run for the house. I did so and left 
my tormenters bewildered in the bush. 

After rest and refreshment, I took the road again. I was 
here passed by Judge (afterward Senator) Gowan and the late 
John McWatt of Barrie on their way to Nottawasaga on horse 
back. I had hard feelings against fate. What sins had I com 
mitted ? or what better were they than me ? that they could ride 
and I had to walk. However I consoled myself with the thought 
that in walking over the dangerous road I was not running the 
risk of getting my neck broken. 

In a dismal swamp by the road side I saw a number of log 
huts which had the appearance of having been occupied and de 
serted. On enquiry, I learned that the Government some years 
previously had chosen this beautiful swamp in which to found a 
Highland Scotch Village and had generously granted five acres 
of this swamp to each family of emigrants and provided them 
with huts to live in and provisions for the winter. When Spring 
came the emigrants left in a body for the 8th line of Nottawasaga 
and there founded a prosperous settlement at the present Village 
of Duntroon. 

On pursuing my journey from Conners I found I was get 
ting, if not into civilization, at any rate, out of solitude. 

Nearly opposite Conners stood a small log shanty occupied 
by a Mr. Fisher, an old man, formerly a book publisher of Pater 
noster row, London, England, his wife and grandson. How the 
gentleman and his wife, a delicate lady, could think of leaving 
society, comfort and luxury to come to such an out of the way 
place in the bush to suffer hardships and privations is past com 
prehension. Mr. Fisher brought with him from London, a 
quantity of his publications, chiefly novels; failing to sell, he dis 
tributed them among the settlers, with whom some of them can 
be still seen. The hardships of bush life were too much for the 
old gentleman and lady ;they endured them but for a short time. 
The grandson they brought out with them is now one of the most 
prosperous farmers of the Township. 



PIONEER PAPERS. 11 



My destination was the Corners (Sunnidale Corners) . On my 
way I passed a few scattered clearings with surroundings which 
looked anything but inviting. 

I met an old gentleman on the road who stopped me and 
kindly held out his hand to shake hands. After a number of en 
quiries about my business, etc., he said to me: "You are no 
Scotch?" 

"No, but I am half Scotch." 
"Your father will be a Scotchman." 

"No, my father and mother are not Scotch." 
"Then how can you be half Scotch?" 

"Well you see my wife comes from the Highlands of Scot 
land which makes me more than half Scotch." 

"Has she the gaelic?" was his next enquiry. I told him 
"no, she did not speak it, but she understood it pretty well as her 
father and mother spoke it." I then had to shake hands with 
him again. I afterwards found that being half Scotch gave me 
a welcome to all the Scotch families of the Settlement. At. the- 
post office, kept by Mr. Gillespie in his dwelling house, I learned 
that the Township was served with a weekly mail. The late 
John Hunter had the contract of carrying the mail from Barrie 
to Owen Sound, making one trip a week calling at all the post 
offices on the route between the two places. He was on tha back 
of his old white charger from Monday morning until Saturday 
night. The postmaster informed ms that once a week was quite 
often enough to get the mail ; even then the mail bag often came 
empty. Letter postage was expensive and newspapers were al 
most out of the question. Seldom did outside news reach into 
this back settlement. 

Most of the settlers had a few years previously emigrated 
from the Island of Islay, Scotland left their occupation as 
fishermen and came to Sunnidale to settle on free grants of land 
from Government. Bringing little or no means with them and 
being unacquainted with clearing the bush and farming they 
made slow progress and suffered untold hardships. 

From the "Corners" to the River there were a few good 
farms occupied by good farmers. At the River was a small farm 
and sawmill occupied and owned by the late George Cathey 
J. P. As well as being the only Justice of the Peace in the Town 
ship, Mr. Cathey held a Captain s Commission in the militia, and 
every man of proper age in the Township was enrolled in his 
Company. On a 24th of June I had the privilege of seeing the 
company muster for drill. Their appearance did not strike me as 
being very soldier-like. Some were in shirt sleeves, some in 



12 PIONEER PAPERS. 



smock frocks and others wore their coats. I pitied the comman 
ding officer who had command of such an awkward-looking 
squad. 

Capt. Cathey was a very popular and worthy man, eve r 
ready to help the needy settlers, and was deserving of the honors 
he wore. 

Two miles farther on, by a road running nearly parallel 
with the River, is the Nottawasaga Bay. Between it and the 
river once stood the town of Hythe. A most beautiful site for a 
town, on the banks of the River and within a short distance of the 
bay. Some of the ruins of the buildings were then still to be 
seen. The town had been laid out by Government and build 
ings erected for a military station. A company of the 3oth in 
fantry occupied the station for some time. When the barracks 
at Penetanguishene were ready for occupation the station was 
abandoned (1818). 

When the first lines were run for the Northern Railroad 
(1836) it was generally expected that here would be the termin 
us, the harbor being the best; but for reasons well known, Col- 
lingwood carried the day. 

There was one public building in the Township, at the Corn 
ers a shanty, built with logs and roofed with bass wood troughs. 
It was used for a school house, for a place of worship, and for all 
other public purposes. It was furnished with seats, made of 
boards nailed to logs. They were made low to accommodate 
the children, and when adults used them their knees were nearly 
ina[line with their chins. It had one desk a board fixed under 
the one small window of the building, and a chimney built of 
sticks and mud in the end opposite the door. 

There, in such primitive surroundings, the youth of the 
township were taught under difficulties, not imagined now 
the branches, at that time required to be taught in the public 
schools of the Country. And there in that miserable shanty, 
scarcely fit for a pig sty, every Sunday was preached the Gospel 
by a faithful Catechist to a devout people. 

The religious services were Presbyterian. The sermon was 
first preached in English then immediately afterward in Gaelic. 
The Psalms were first entoned two lines at a time by the precent 
or, then in the same monotone sung by the congregation, but to 
what tune I could not make out. When I hear an English 
Church priest sing the service it brings vividly to my mind the 
precentor and the singing in the Sunnidale old log shanty. Once 
in a while an ordained clergyman from outside would come and 
administer the Sacrament and baptize the babies. 




GEORGE SNEATH, 

From a photograph in 1903, 

;t>. Sept. 30, 1819, d. July 13, 1907.) 



PIONEER PAPERS. 13 



The nearest store was at Barrie. The nearest grist mill, 
"Oliver s Mills," now Midhurst. If a doctor was required 
which happily was seldom the case from Barrie he had to come. 

A non-resident had to represent the Township in the old 
District Council. The Councillors were paid neither fees nor 
expenses at that time. The settlers were too poor to loose time 
and go to Barrie for a week at their own expense. The late 
George Jackson, M.P. of Owen Sound, represented the Township 
at the Council for some years. After him a resident was persuad 
ed to accept the position. He traveled on foot to and from Bar 
rie, carried his grub with him and paid only for lodgings. He 
tired of it in one year. He came to the conclusion that he was 
paying very dear for all the honor he was getting. 

Sunnidale as I knew it in that long ago does not now exist. 
It has gone almost out of recollection, so have the long-suffering 
but sturdy pioneers who hewed out in the wilderness homes for 
themselves and families. And in its place now stands a fine 
farming Township inhabited by a thrifty and prosperous popu 
lation and dotted over with fine residences, churches and schooj 
houses. 



14 PIONEER PAPEBS. 



RECOLLECTIONS OF MOSES HAYTER, THE FIRST 
JAILER OF SIMCOE COUNTY. 

By Samuel Lount Soules. 



In fulfilment of a promise I made you some time ago, I will 
write in regard to some events that are not generally known, 
which took place seventy years ago. It would not have taken me 
long providing I could have come across some of my old manu 
scripts treating of the subject; but I failed to light upon the right 
ones and had to do the best I could from memory. I have en 
deavored to write nothing but facts, without enlarging or putting 
on any varnish. 

I shall begin with 1832, when the Township of Innisfil -had 
but a very few settlers. A man by the name of Moses Hayter 
came from the city of London, Eng., to Canada. His occupation 
in London was that of a grocer in a small way ; but being of a ro 
mantic turn of mind he came to the conclusion that he would 
strike out for Canada and see if he could better his fortune in some 
other way. So bidding his wife and two boys, Benjamin and 
Charles, goodbye, he set sail, and after a tedious voyage landed in 
New York, and from there he came to Toronto, and made en 
quiry at the Crown Lands Office where he could obtain a lot of 
Government land. He was advised to seek information from 
some of the oldest settlers who had taken up land in some of the 
recently surveyed townships in the County of Simcoe. 

From Toronto he pushed on as far as the Holland Landing ,* 
and from there he came on as far as Myers Corners, now the vil 
lage of Stroud. Now at this time my father, David Soules, had 
settled upon lot 26 in the i4th concession of Innisfil, on the south 
shore of Kempenfeldt Bay, generally known as Big Bay Point, 
and had been there about ten years. At this time there was no 
road from there to Myers , only a very blind trail which was oc 
casionally used to reach the Penetanguishene Road (which itself 
was scarcely fit to be called a road at the time). Myers advised 
Hayter to see Soules, who would advise him what was best for 
him to do, and the shortest way to reach Soules would be by this 
trail, seven miles through an unbroken forest where wolves and 
bears were very numerous. Now I make this statement to show 
the courage, perseverence, and determination of this new comer. 



PIONEER PAPERS. 15 



The whole journey from Toronto had been accomplished on foot, 
and now, not daunted by what Myers had told him of the proba 
bility of his getting lost in the woods and lying out all night, he 
boldly set out on this perilous jaunt and at dusk reached the de 
sired destination. I shall never forget it, as I was lying in bed 
sick with the measles. The rash had broken on me that morn 
ing, all over my whole body, and I remember the fright it gave 
my mother when Hayter said it was smallpox, but he thought it 
was a light type and that I would soon recover. But my father 
maintained it was measles which soon proved to be the case. 

Hayter gave an account of what he had passed through and 
what his business was. And in those days when there was but 
little communication with the outside world, we were pleased to 
meet with strangers, especially one like Hayter who was to us a 
full encyclopaedia, and one that was always ready to impart to 
others such information as was most enjoyed. My father told 
him there was a zoo-acre lot joining his, that belonged to the 
Clergy Reserves. It was excellent land, and he had good reason 
to believe that it would soon be placed on the market for sale. 
And as preemption rights were then recognized, he would advise 
him to make application at once for the first right to purchase the 
lot. Hayter did so and received a favorable answer. He at once 
engaged a man to chop four acres. My father promised that they 
would make a bee and get it logged and burnt off as soon as pos 
sible, so that he could build a house on it, (lot 25, concession 13). 

My father gave him the privilege of using in the meantime a 
good large room which he had recently erected in addition to the 
part we occupied, and his wife and family could live there as soon 
as they arrived, or until their own house was made ready for oc 
cupancy. All this was done in a very short time, and the four 
acres were put in fall wheat. 

The family had now been here about seven months. Hay 
ter s money, which was but little when he came, had all gone ; and 
when he moved his family into his new house he had not one 
dollar left, and had been living on what my father had furnished 
him until he (my father) had reduced his own btock of provisions 
so that he could do no more. This was a serious dilemma, sur 
rounded as he was by strangers in a strange land. I shall never 
forget the night Hayter and my father held a serious consulta 
tion as to what was best to do under such trying circumstances. 
My father at length suggested that Samuel Lount of Holland 
Landing should be approached, as it was a well known fact that 
he had, on several occasions, given aid to new settlers who had 
been placed in similar circumstances. Hayter looked quite sur 
prised at such a suggestion, and made this reply:- "What 



16 PIONEER PAPERS. 



would citizens of London think if I should have the audacity 
to appeal to a man I never saw, an entire stranger, for aid, with 
nothing in sight whereby I could repay him. But as I can see no 
way out of these trying circumstances unless Providence comes 
to my aid through some unforeseen channel, I will venture to 
write a letter to Mr. Lount." 

Now as nearly as I can remember, the letter was in these 
words :- 

Mr. Samuel Lount, 

Holland Landing. 

Dear Sir:- 

As I am a very recent settler from the City of London, 
and now occupy a lot of land adjoining your brother-in-law, Dav 
id Soules, who has given all he can spare in the way of furnishing 
myself and family with the necessities of life, and as I am quite 
destitute of money to carry me through until my little crop, 
which I have succeeded in putting in the ground, comes off, by 
the advice of Mr. Soules I have ventured to ask you as a great 
favor to advance me one barrel of flour which by strict economy 
may be the means of prolonging our lives until I can raise enough 
to live on and pay you. Nothing but straitened circumstanc 
es impels me to approach you in this unusual manner. Hoping 
you will not be offended at my request and will grant my peti 
tion, I shall ever remember you in my prayers to the Author of 
all gifts. I am, yours sincerely, 

MOSES HAYTER. 
P. S. The flour could be sent by the steamboat. 

About eight days after this letter had been sent, the steam 
er s whistle was heard just opposite our place, and a signal for 
a boat to be sent out. Hayter and his son Charles (as my father 
was not at home at the time) took our boat, pulled out and drew 
up alongside of the steamer. When Captain Laughton came 
forward he said, "There is some flour on board for Mr. Hay 
ter." This was good news. Two bags were lowered down into 
the boat, Hayter, with tears of gratitude running down his 
cheeks, was in the act of pushing off when the captain sang out: 
"Hold on ; more flour," and two more bags were let down, with a 
note tied to one of the bags. On reaching the shore, Hayter 
opened the note, which read as follows:- 

"Mr. Hayter: I received your letter in which you very 
modestly ask me to advance you one barrel of flour. I fully real 
ize your position and extend my deepest sympathy. Not think 
ing one barrel would carry you through until your crop comes 



PIONEER PAPERS. 17 



off, I concluded to send you two barrels. Pay me when con 
venient. The price I paid for the flour was 2, los. (or $10 in 
present currency). Wishing you may pull through all right, I 
am, yours very sincerely, 

SAMUEL LOUNT. 
Holland Landing. 
P. S. Should you chance to pass this way, call and see me. 

"Such an act of kindness," said Hayter, afterward, "coming 
from a man I had never seen, caused me to break down, and I 
was only relieved by a flood of tears. This was the beginning of 
a lasting friendship. I frequently did call on him, and the more 
I became acquainted with him, the more I learned of his hospital 
ity and generous heart." 

And now I must hurry on to the tragic end. About this 
time there was much excitement throughout the country in re 
gard to the manner in which the affairs of the country were con 
ducted by the government then in power. It is not my inten 
tion to enter into details in regard to the maladministration and 
corruption of the government, which caused the Rebellion of 
1837. I will only refer to Lord Durham s Report to the Imperi 
al Government, where he says:- "I was much surprised, after 
close enquiry, that the colonists suffered such abuse as long as 
they did without an open rupture." But it came; and Samuel 
Lount, being a very popular man, (having been once elected as a 
member of the provincial parliament for Simcoe county), was 
chosen to take charge of all the insurgents that could be collected 
from the northern townships. It is well known how it ended; 
and a reward of several thousand dollars was offered for the cap 
ture of the leaders, Lount among the rest. At this time Hayter s 
eldest son, Benjamin, was in the post office in Toronto as a junior 
clerk at a small salary. Hayter had just received word that he 
had better come down to Toronto and take Benjamin home as he 
was failing very fast with consumption. Hayter started im 
mediately, making for the city on foot. When within four miles 
of Toronto, he found a strong guard across the road, but his friend 
Lount gave him a pass. The next day the battle was fought, 
the insurgents defeated, and the large hotel belonging to Mont 
gomery was laid in ashes. On his return, while passing the ruins, 
he picked up a burnt lock and put it in his pocket as a memento 
of the battle. This, in a very short time after, was the cause of 
much trouble and annoyance to him. Pushing on, he at last 
reached the recently hospitable home of Samuel Lount in Hol 
land Landing. Here he found Mrs. Lount in great trouble and 
grief, not only on account of her husband, who was then fleeing 
for life with four thousand dollars reward for his capture, dead 



18 PIONEER PAPERS. 



or alive, but she had just received notice, from Col. Dewson, 
warning her to leave the house with her family, as it would be 
burned down that night over their heads if she did not take 
warning and fly for safety. Not knowing where to flee for re 
fuge caused her great agony of mind. 

Unexpectedly at this juncture Hayter put in an appearance 
leading his sick boy by the hand. After a short conference, he en 
quired of the oldest boy at home if there was a gun in the house. 
Being answered in the affirmative, and that there was lots of 
powder but no bullets, yet plenty of lead and a bullet mould, 
Hayter set to work and cast a few balls. While in this act, seme 
spies saw him at it, which also cost him a trip to Toronto. He 
then loaded the old chief piece, and told Mrs. Lount and the 
family to go to bed, that he would guard the house. They did 
so, and Hayter took up his stand at the front door. About 
twelve o clock he saw a numerous procession marching up the 
street, with various flambeaux and torches, shouting "Down 
with the d d rebel s house," their shouts mingled with fearful 
imprecations. Hayter, standing on the platform in the front 
sang out in a loud, commanding voice, "halt," which was instinct 
ively obeyed, as the command was quite unexpected. He thus 
addressed the mob:- "Do you call yourselves Englishmen? I 
am an Englishman from the city of London, was an usher to the 
Duke of Wellington, where I was taught to know no fear when in 
a just cause. I most sacredly declare that before you enter this 
house, with the intention of burning it down over the head of a 
defenceless woman and her children, you will have to walk over 
the dead body of an Englishman, but not before I will take good 
account of at least one of you. If you only knew the character 
of the man whom you are seeking for his life as well as I do, you 
would retire with shame. Once he saved me and my family 
from starvation when that fate stared us in the face. And hund 
reds can testify that he has reached out a helping hand to those 
who were in" great need." 

On hearing these words, every man threw down his torch 
and went slinking away down to the tavern. The next day he 
resumed his journey northward on the Penetanguishene Road, and 
when he reached the Half-Way House, he met a band of tough 
looking old pensioners, and a rough lot of human beings on their 
way to Toronto for the purpose of fighting the rebels and saving 
the country from ruin. Hayter, being an outspoken man, and 
being accustomed to use full liberty of speech, endeavored to ex 
plain the causes that led to the Rebellion, saying what they called 
rebels were not antagonistic to the British Government, but to 



PIONEER PAPERS. 19 



the oppressive Family Compact that was ruining the country; 
and that this Rebellion would eventually bring better times for 
Canada. He then pulled out the burnt lock, saying "the time 
will come when this lock will be called a relic of a glorious Rebel 
lion." This expression along with some other minor ones helped 
soon afterward to send him to Toronto to answer to accusations 
brought against him. 

On the fourth day after leaving Toronto he reached home 
with his sick son, who rapidly sank, his end being hurried on pro 
bably by exhaustion from the long walk. The very next day a 
press gang, having a warrant for Hayter s apprehension on the 
grounds that he had been seen running balls at Samuel Lount s 
house, and for treasonable expressions made at a country inn, 
and for otherwise aiding and abbetting the rebels, arrived at his 
house and forced him to appear in Toronto before a tribunal of 
judges expressly appointed to investigate and try all those who 
were suspected of disloyalty. David Soules was pressed with his 
team to carry the culprit to the city. Those fancy bracelets 
generally known as handcuffs were actually placed on his wrists 
for fear he might escape. He was arraigned before the bar of 
these commissioners, and was asked if he wanted a solicitor, to 
which he promptly said no. 

As I was not there, and only heard an account of his de 
fence, as he made it, at second hand, I cannot venture to relate it. 
I was told by those who did hear it that his accusers were put to 
open shame. He was speedily acquitted, and he returned home 
to find his son in the last stage of the disease. This was not the 
last of Hayter s troubles over the Rebellion, nor yet of ours. 
Shortly after the rebels were defeated, a gang of drunken men, to 
the number of 35 or 40, were deputed and fully invested with 
authority to search Soules and Hayter s houses and premises, as 
it had been reported that they, with a company of 18 or 20 des 
perate men, had sworn that they would sell their lives dearly be 
fore Lount should be taken. One cold night in December 35 or 
40 men, dressed in blanket coats, burst in our door. Their blan 
ket coats and cappotes drawn close over their heads made them 
appear like Indians. No one being up at the time but my moth 
er, she was very much frightened and begged of them not to mur 
der us. My father got up and demanded by what authority they 
broke into his house in such a manner. The warrant was shown 
him, and their further authority that should they be met with 
serious opposition they were to shoot down all but the wife and 
her son. After looting the place of all the light goods, such as 
socks, mittens, handkerchiefs, collars, shirts, and other similar 
things, and after partaking of a hearty meal of boiled pork, 



20 PIONEER PAPERS. 



bread, cakes, pies, butter, preserves, and milk, they said they 
were quite satisfied that Lount was not there. Hayter suffered 
the same treatment with the same result. In the confusion I had 
been pricked with a bayonet because I would not turn over and 
satisfy a drunken fool that my uncle was not in bed behind me 
and I felt that if I had the strength of a Samson I would annihilate 
every one of them. I was told by my father to visit the barn, 
which I did, and I could see through a crack that they were thrus 
ting their bayonets deep into the hay and straw, frequently re 
peating, "I wonder if the d~d rebel might be here." 

And now for the last act. When Lount was sentenced to be 
executed, my father visited him in prison and asked him if he 
thought a numerously signed petition, presented to the Governor, 
praying for commutation of the sentence, would be of any use. 
Lount replied that it would only hasten his execution, which pro 
ved to be true. However, a petition was circulated in great 
haste as there was only a very short time left for doing it. Hay 
ter volunteered to canvass Oro. My father went south, and 
through Barrie and Vespra. Hayter, rather than lose any time 
in going around the head of Kempenfeldt Bay, determined to 
venture across the ice, which had broken up into large floes, and 
was in a frightfully dangerous condition for a horse or even a 
man to travel upon. But Hayter braved the danger, and made 
the old French-Canadian horse jump from floe to floe. The ride 
was like Eliza s struggle across the Ohio River, in Uncle Tom s 
Cabin, as we watched him from our shore expecting every mo 
ment to see his horse go down. But he succeeded in reaching the 
Oro side, where he worked night and day with great success. 
There was not one that he asked who did not sign the petition. 
In other places many thousands signed similar petitions. But 
when it was presented to the Governor by Mrs. Lount on her 
knees, he cast his eyes over where the numbers were added up, 
and very abruptly said to her:- "this petition seals his death," 
verifying Lount s prophecy. 




SAMUEL LOUNT SOULES, 

From a photograph by J. F. Jackson, Barrie, in 1895, 
(b. 1823, d. Jan. 5, 1904.) 



PIONEER PAPERS. 21 



Note by the Secretary. 



When this county was organized in 1 843 as a fully equipped 
judicial district, Moses Hayter, the subject of the foregoing nar 
rative, became the first jailer, and held the office until 1852, a 
period of about nine years. Before leaving Big Bay Point to re 
side in Barrie, as jailer, his only remaining son, Charles, died of 
consumption, just as Benjamin had done at an earlier date. Dur 
ing his term of office, a prisoner knocked Mrs. Hayter senseless, 
snatched the keys, and escaped, leaving the woman in an insens 
ible condition. She recovered, although she never fully regained 
her former strength. This circumstance may have had some 
thing to do with his resignation from the jailership not long after 
ward, coupled perhaps with growing ill health. For a few years 
he had a sawmill in Essa, near Utopia. He died at Barrie, 
Oct. 9, 1864, and his gravestone in the Barrie Union Cemetery 
gives his age as 69 years. Mrs. Hayter died Feb. 8, 1865, aged 
79 years. Joseph Hayter of Vespra Township is a nephew of our 
first jailer. 



22 PIONEER PAPERS. 



EARLY DAYS IN ORO. 
By Lt. Col. W. E. O Brien. 

The settlement of the Township of Oro began about the 
year 1830 when immigration was first directed to the country on 
the North shore of Lake Simcoe. It is true that before the date 
mentioned settlers had taken up land on the Penetanguishene 
Road, which was opened after the removal of the military sta 
tion from the Nottawasaga River to Penetanguishene. Among 
these early settlers were many whose names are still well known 
amongst us, as for example, the Caldwells, Drurys, Craigs, Part 
ridges, all more or less connected with this township. Another 
name which should not be omitted, though no family bearing it 
remains, is that of Thomas Mairs, who first introduced the breed 
of short -horn cattle into this country, thus doing more than 
any other individual of his time in promoting the development of 
agriculture. In the year 1830 my father, the late Edward 
George O Brien, then living in the Township of Vaughan, at 
tracted by the glowing reports of the beauty of Lake Simcoe, re 
solved to settle upon its shore, and was appointed by Sir John 
Colborne, then Governor of Upper Canada, to look after the Set 
tlement of Oro. Grants of land in proportion to their rank were 
offered to half pay officers, both of the army and of the navy, who 
were willing to become actual settlers, and many took advantage 
of the offer. Few of them, however, were qualified to endure the 
laborious toil, and the many privations incidental to the life of a 
settler "in the bush," and by degrees they left the country till but 
very few remained. But though their enterprise proved of little 
or no benefit to themselves, it was of great benefit to the country. 
The money expended by them was of immense advantage in pro 
viding work for the poorer immigrants, thus enabling them to 
live until produce of their own land became sufficient to maintain 
them. Many a family of now opulent farmers got its first start in 
life by the money earned in working for those who had something 
to spend, and generally were more willing to spend, than they 
were prudent in their outlay. It was an undoubted advantage 
that there were, among the early settlers, so many men and wo 
men of education and refinement who, by precept and example, 
maintained a standard of manners and conduct which would not 
otherwise have existed, and which did not exist where these ele 



PIONEER PAPERS. 23 



ments of civilization were absent, and though few settlers of this 
class remained upon their lands they were not lost to the country. 
Of those who, in subsequent years, took a leading part in public 
affairs many were the sons of men who, full of hope and enter 
prise, spent the best of their years, and the chief of their sub 
stance, as settlers in the back-woods. Let one example suffice. 
Capt. Steele of the Royal Navy, one of the settlers of this class, 
made a home in the Township of Medonte, then a trackless forest. 
He afterwards represented this County in the Assembly of Upper 
Canada. Of his sons one was for many years reeve of Oro, and 
afterwards warden of the County, and still lives amongst us 
esteemed and respected. Another son, after an honorable career 
in our own North West, and more recently in South Africa, holds 
high rank in the Imperial Service. 

The first settlers in Oro were from the west of England, and 
from the Highlands of Scotland, chiefly from the Island of Islay. 
The former settled in the eastern part of the township where 
young and flourishing families of Shaws, Leighs, and Hodges, and 
others bearing English names, are still to be found. The High 
landers took up their land in the central and northern parts of 
the township where their descendants, bearing the names of 
many illustrious clans, still abound. Of the last named immi 
grants, all were able to speak, and did speak among themselves, 
the Gaelic tongue. A few of the older people knew no other, 
and continued to speak it to the end of their days. Indeed it is 
not many years since the service in the Gaelic was discontinued in 
one of their churches. Many of these people landed at my fath 
er s wharf at Shanty Bay, and worked for many years in the 
neighborhood, so that in my childhood I heard as much Gaelic 
spoken as English. 

There was a settlement of coloured people in the central part 
of the township, of which Wilber force Street, named in memory 
of the great emancipator, and which will be found in the descrip 
tion of many old deeds, is a reminder. These people were escap 
ed slaves, and fine specimens of the negro race many of them 
were. Some here may remember the name of Jenny Jackson, an 
old lady of very rotund proportions, a true specimen of the care 
less, merry hearted, laughter-loving African. It is of her that is 
told the story of a hand to hand, or rather hand to paw conflict 
with a bear over the body of a pig which Bruin was feloniously 
trying to extract from his sty. Of these people there is only one 
family that I know of, remaining. 

The formation of the township is somewhat peculiar. Close 
along the lake shore, all the way from Barrie to Orillia, there is a 



24 PIONEER PAPERS. 



strip of cedar swamp of varying width in which cedars of enor 
mous growth, a few scattered pine, and both spruce and balsam 
were to be found. North of this and sloping upwards is a bank 
of gravel and stone of every size from the smallest pebbles to gi 
gantic boulders of many tons in weight, and closely correspond 
ing to the stones on the shore of the lake. These stones are of 
the Laurentian formation and apparently have been brought by 
the action of ice in some early age from the rocky region to the 
north. Above this gravelly streak runs what we call the ridge, 
and north of that is a tract from three to four miles in width of 
excellent soil, growing lighter in character as it approaches the 
range of sand hills which occupy the northern part of the town 
ship, where the soil is of poorer quality and water scarce. In 
this part of the township much pine formerly grew, all now con 
verted into lumber. In the southern part, maple and beech, the 
different varieties of elm, some of enormous size, bass wood and 
hemlock, were the prevailing timbers. Running east and west 
through the township are several cedar swamps, the water from 
which ultimately finds its way into Lake Simcoe. These swamps 
in which the water is never stagnant, and therefore not unhealthy, 
interfered very much with the opening of the roads going north 
and south, and for many years it was very difficult to have any 
communication between the settlers in the central and southern 
parts of the township. 

The Penetanguishene Road formed the chief outlet for the 
settlers in the north and west of the township, and from it easter 
ly the first roads were opened. The mail route to Orillia and 
that by which most of the travel passed was from White s Corn 
ers, now Dalston, to the townline of Orillia Township. Along 
the lake shore the Ridge Road running along the gravelly ridge 
already spoken of, was a road opened by the settlers for their own 
convenience, fifty feet in width, and quite independent of the 
government road allowances. It was opened as far as what is 
now the Village of Hawkstone.but was for many years little bet 
ter than a track through the bush. Later it was regularly sur 
veyed, and established as at present, and by degrees was made 
one of the best roads in the township. The settlers within reach 
of the lake made use of the water in summer, and of the ice in 
winter, as a means of communication, and both were much more 
frequented in those early days than now, when boating is pursued 
solely for the purpose of recreation. In summer, water, and in 
winter, snow, gave the chief means of communication with the 
outer world, and also between the chief places of business, 
Barrie and Orillia. To reach Toronto the traveller in summer 
took the steamer at its various places of call, and was thence con- 



PIONEER PAPRES. 25 



veyed to Holland Landing. A night was spent there, and some 
time in the following day, according to the state of the roads, 
the stage coach set him down in the metropolis of Upper Canada. 
The calling places for the steamer in this township were Shanty 
Bay and Hodges, now the flourishing Village of Hawkstone. In 
winter the ice formed the best road across the lake. Sleighs 
coming down the Penetanguishene Road crossed the Bay at 
Kempenfeldt, landing on the other side near Tollendal, and thence 
making a short cut through the woods to the Innisfil Road, the 
highway to the south. From any part of Oro this would be a 
two days journey, but from Barrie, when the sleighing was good, 
the drive of sixty miles was often accomplished in one day. 

With the growth of population, some small villages, having the 
traditional foundation of a post office, store, and blacksmith s 
shop, came into existence such as Edgar, Rugby, Hawkstone 
and Shanty Bay. According to the original plan, the site of the 
county town first laid out at Kempenfeldt would have been in 
Oro, instead of in Vespra. Kempenfeldt was the landing place 
for the Penetanguishene Road, and there was a store house and 
wharf at the point of which some remains may still be seen. 
There were landed the stores for the newly-founded naval and 
military establishment at Penetanguishene, and there landed 
Captain Franklin on one of his expeditions in search of the North- 
West Passage. The transference of the townsite to Barrie put 
an end to Kempenfeldt, but one incident in connection with it 
may be recorded. In the winter of 1841 occurred the general 
election which led to the establishment of responsible govern 
ment in this country. The constituency of Simcoe embraced not 
only all the present county of that name, but several townships 
both to the east and to the west. The election was the last that 
took place under the old system, when the voting was open, and 
was continued for a week. It was not then illegal to convey 
voters to the poll.or to refresh them on the way. Open houses 
were kept in the interest of each candidate and conveyances 
were provided to carry the voters to the poll. The expense, of 
course, was considerable, and it was remarked as proof of the 
enormous cost of the election that the successful candidate spent 
jCToo. Considering that the contest lasted for a week, during 
which everything in the shape of meat and drink was free to 
those who chose to take advantage of the liberality of the candi 
date they favoured, that the voters had all to come to Barrie by 
sleigh, that they came from Beaverton on the east, and from beyond 
what is now Collingwood on the west , from Holland Landing on the 
south, to Penetanguishene on the north, it must strike the mod 
ern politician who, under present circumstances, will think he 



26 PIONEER PAPERS. 



gets off easy with an equal expenditure in an election lasting one 
day, in an area of four townships, that the science of political 
corruption had not much developed in those ancient days. Be 
that as it may, in this contest, as generally throughout the 
country, party feeling ran high ; the memories of 1837 rankled in 
the hearts of many, and fears were apprehended that breaches of 
the peace might take place. Impressed with this feeling, and 
especially with the idea that the Orangemen of what is now 
South Simcoe might come into conflict with the Reformers from 
the north, some timid magistrates in charge of affairs at Barrie 
made a requisition for military aid; and, in consequence of their 
representations, a detachment from the regiment then stationed 
in Toronto was sent up. As by law no military force can be al 
lowed within a certain distance of a polling place, the detach 
ment was quartered at Kempenfeldt, in a house built and occu- 
edby Mr. William Mann, the first settler there, who will be re 
membered many years later as doing business in Barrie. How 
ever, as it happened the services of the warriors were not requir 
ed, and the election passed off quietly, and resulted in the return 
of the Reform candidate, Capt. Steele R. N., already mentioned 
as one of the first settlers in the county. His opponent was the 
Hon. W. B. Robinson, brother of the late Chief Justice of Upper 
Canada, who for a long period represented the County of Simcoe 
in Parliament. 

For many years after the first settlement the progress of the 
township was slow; money was scarce.the small clearings pro 
duced little more than sufficed for the actual needs of the sett 
lers, roads were scarcely passable except in winter, wages were 
low, and there was no lumbering or other work going on to enable 
those who had leisure to find profitable employment. Gradual 
ly, however, these conditions changed, and when improvement 
began its progress was rapid. With larger clearings, and fields 
freed from stumps, the aid of farm machinery became possible. 
The sickle gave place to the cradle, and the cradle to the reaper. 
For the scythe was substituted the mower, and the drill for the 
seed basket. Instead of the slowly moving yoke of oxen, labori 
ously dragging the scanty surplus of the small farm to be dis 
posed of "in trade," came the spanking, gaily harnessed team well 
loaded with grain, or other produce, to be readily sold "for cash." 
Substantial brick dwellings took the place of the frame or log 
house which in turn had supplanted the original shanty. Gardens 
were made, orchards planted, and a general aspect of tidiness and 
thrift prevailed. In short the Township of Oro, once regarded, 
in spite of its name, as one of the poorest and most backward in 
the county, has become second to none in regard to either the 



PIONKER PAPERS. 27 



beauty of its situation, the fertility of its soil, the excellence of its 
cultivation, or the comfort and prosperity of its people. Among 
the early settlers there was an unruly element which gave some 
work to the magistrates. A good deal of drinking prevailed, 
especially among the older men, and the means of education for 
the young people were limited. In these respects, too, a great 
change has taken place and there is not now in the Dominion of 
Canada a population more orderly, sober, well conducted, and 
better educated, than that of the Township of Oro. 

While thus the moral and material interests of the township 
have been promoted, the more distinctly spiritual needs of the 
people have not been neglected. In the southern part of the 
township where the Church of England had many adherents, a 
mission was established with the first settlement. Among the 
Highland settlers worship according to the Presbyterian form 
was early established, and, so long as necessary, the Gaelic tongue 
was used in the services. Where Methodists predominated, no 
time was lost in erecting places of worship, and holding services 
wherever a congregation could be assembled. 

In this brief sketch of the history of the township it will be 
noticed, unless something remains untold, that while there was a 
great deal of hard work done, many privations endured, much 
patience exercised, and many difficulties overcome, there was 
little to be seen or heard that would appeal to the imagination, or 
take the life of the settlers out of the prosaic routine of every day 
existence. Yet in the minds of some, at least, of those entering 
upon a new life, under entirely new conditions, and amidst en 
tirely new surroundings, there must have been a rising of new 
hopes and new aspirations, a new sense of freedom, a feeling that 
here was a life worth living, a goal worth striving for. In the 
years that followed many may have been the disappointed hopes, 
the unfulfilled expectations, the ungratified desires, but, in the 
main, that success was achieved we have for testimony the happy 
homes, the smiling fields, and the signs everywhere of life passed 
in the enjoyment of material comfort and mental activity. Such 
as first told was the Township of Oro in the early days, and such 
as now described is the Township of Oro to-day. 



28 PIONEER PAPERS. 



NOTES OF BARRIE S FIRST RESIDENTS. 



(At a meeting of the Society, May nth, 1898, the first 
residents ofBarrie, as they appear in Walton sDirectory for 1837, 
were the subject for the day s discussion. The Society possesses 
a typewritten report of the meeting, the statements or comments 
about each resident having been taken down in shorthand. 
This report in a condensed form appears in these papers follow 
ing the Notes by Mr. Sneath and Mr. Soules neither of whom 
was present at the meeting, but they afterward wrote what they 
knew of some of the persons named in the list, and their remarks 
follow.) 

Heads of families in Barrie, 1837, (Total 2$): Lucius Boy, 
ington, John Bingham, Dugald Campbell, James Campbell- 
Richard Carney, Richard Cobb, C. Cunningham, Jane Duggan, 
David Edgar, Andrew Graham, Francis Hewson, Francis Mar 
tin, Francis Meighan, Thrift Meldrum, Richard McCoy, James 
Morrison, John McCausland, David McCausland, John McDon 
ald, William Nesbitt, John Perry, D. S. Ross, Robert Ross, S. 
M. Sanford, Thomas Smith, George Stokes, William Strong, 
Alexander Walker. 

Notes by George Sneath, Esq. 

JOHN BINGHAM. John Bingham s wife got the name of 
the "smiling landlady." They had no family. Alfred Arnall 
was a nephew of Mrs. Bingham. The "King s Arms", later 
changed to the "Queen s Arms", was a small log building on the 
site of the present hotel with a large garden attached. Bingham 
had two sisters, Mrs. Dicker and Mrs. Lang. 

RICHARD CARNEY. Richard Carney was a step-son 
of Joseph Crow, an old sailor from Portsmouth, England, of 
whom no mention was made at your meeting. He and his wife, 
Mrs. Carney, a son, Thomas Crow, and a daughter, Eliza Carney, 
lived in a shanty near the lake opposite Sanford s store. Crow 
found Carney money to build his tavern. When first opened it 
was called "Carney and Crow s Tavern". Major McKenzie s 
mother was a sister of Richard Carney. A brother, William 
Carney , was mixed up with the Rebellion of 37, was taken pris 
oner and confined in Kingston jail for two years. 



PIONEER PAPERS. 29 



JOHN MUNRO. In a shanty joining Crow s was another 
family not mentioned at your meeting, John Munro s. Mr. 
Munro was from Inverness, Scotland, enlisted in the Foot Guards 
and was in London several years with his regiment. He was 
a millwright and carpenter by trade, and came to Canada in 
1832. After working at the Government buildings then being 
erected at Pen e tan gu is hen e^ for some time, he moved to Barrie 
and took the contract of building Mr. Sanford s store. It was 
raised on a Christmas day. The timbers put into it were so 
heavy that it was generally believed they would not be put to 
gether without some accident. For fear such would be the case 
two doctors were brought from Toronto to be on hand if 
needed. Contrary to expectation the building was raised with 
out accident, and when finished was considered to be the best 
building north of Toronto. James Smith, a merchant of Toron 
to, and a brother-in-law of Mr. Sanford, found the money for 
building and stocking the store. Mr. Sanford had been for some 
time a clerk in Mr. Smith s store. Mr. Munro also did the car 
penter work at the Shanty Bay church, and later removed to 
his farm on the Seventh concession of Vespra where he was 
killed by the falling of a tree. 

JANE DUGGAN, called "The Scotch Widow", was not a 
widow. She subsequently married a William Johnston, a plas 
terer, and resided in a house close by Carney s tavern. 

FRAZER and BUCHAN were journeymen of Mr. Munro. 

S. M. SANFORD. This man left Barrie for Toronto and 
went into Smith s store again. McWatt was made manager 
of the store in Barrie and was appointed postmaster, which po 
sition he held until Jonathan Lane succeeded him. Sanford 
had been the first postmaster; there were several applicants 
for the position. Sanford married "Steamboat" Thomson s 
sister and returned to Barrie where he remained until death. 
He came to Barrie in 1836. 

"TAILOR" McDONALD. He lived in Barrie in 1836. 
In religion he was a Roman Catholic, but decked himself out 
with orange ribbons and was a prominent man at the first 
Orange gathering in Barrie on a Twelfth July. He was after 
ward disciplined by the Priest. His excuse was that he wanted 
to have a good time. 

JOHN McW ATT. Sanford took McWatt as clerk into his 
store, I think in 1837. He had previously been working for 
Capt. Oliver on his farm at Shanty Bay, and took for wages lot 
25, and concession, Vespra, now owned by James Russell. He 



30 PIONEER PAPERS. 



built a shanty and made a small clearing on it before going to 
Sanford. 

JOHN McCAUSLAND. He had one "motion" house about 
where the freight sheds stand now. He also had, where he liv 
ed, where Dr. Well s house stands, what he called his mill where 
he prepared his timber for his "motion." It was worked by 
horse power, one horse, and to save expense of a driver he had a 
box of oats fixed in front of the horse just out of its reach, mov 
ing as it moved, consequently never reaching it. 

FRANK MEIGHAN. Or Main, as he was called, was a 
laboring man about town. 

PEARSON came to Barrie in 1838. 

ALEXANDER WALKER. His house stood where Mr. 
Lee s house stands. He left Barrie in 1838. His wife Betsy 
spent his money as fast as he could earn it in entertaining her 
neighbors and in buying fine clothes. 

Notes by S. L. Soules. 

ALEXANDER WALKER was the first settler in Barrie. 
He was of Scotch descent, a very hardy, uneducated man, dar 
ing and intrepid, with natural enterprise, which for want of better 
judgment frequently led him into serious financial losses. He 
was a sort of Jack of all Trades and Master of None. He bought 
i oo acres of land, and on the hill, near where Christopher Lee after 
ward resided, built a log house, where he and his family lived for 
many years. When the Sunnidale Road was opened out, he 
contracted for a number of miles, but was so unacquainted with 
the nature of the work that he lost money where others made 
out well. When the contract was given out by the Government 
for cutting down the hill on Yonge Street near Holland Land 
ing, a very extensive work, he took the whole job, and in 
this entirely failed, which reduced him to a state bordering on 
beggary. I must not omit to mention, to prove his want of in 
genuity, that he at one time borrowed a pocket compass from 
David Soules when laying out the Sunnidale Road, and such was 
his ignorance of the working of the compass that he was guided 
by the letters denoting the various points, which confused him so 
much that he returned it saying he could do better with his head. 

DAVID EDGAR, was the next newcomer. He owned 100 or 
200 acres of land in the west part of the town which eventually be 
came very valuable. He also owned 200 acres where Allandale 
is now situated. He was a Canadian by birth, coming from Nap- 
anee to Barrie with his family, whom he leftf or some time atDav- 



PIONEER PAPERS. 31 



id Soules , Big Bay Point.untilhe could prepare a house for them - 
At that time there were but two log houses in Barrie, Walker s 
and a log house near the water which was built by the Govern 
ment for a storehouse or arsenal in or about 1814. This house he 
got possession of, and moved his family into it, where they re 
mained for a number of years. He was a very intelligent man, 
but reckless, and, as may be truly said, spendthrift, which in the 
end drove him to poverty. He died in Toronto. He had dispos 
ed of his properties in Barrie and Allandale for trifling sums, and 
sometime after his death those who had bought lots in his Barrie 
land came nearly being dispossessed of them by his eldest son af 
ter coming of age, through some technicality in law in regard to 
the transfer. He was much given to sport ; he introduced into 
the neighborhood the first fox hounds, game fowls , and boxing 
gloves, in all of which he seemed to take great delight. And here 
I cannot refrain from relating how one of his game cocks was 
nearly killed. After crossing Lake Simcoe on his way to Barrie 
from Toronto, he stopped at David Soules for dinner; and some 
farmers boys, who owned a male bird that had carried off the 
plumes as a fighter for some years, resolved to try one of Ed 
gar s noted game birds. They soon found a way to take one out 
of the box, and placed the two on the barn floor, when in a very 
short time Edgar s game bird was nearly killed. They then 
placed the bird back in its box, and Edgar knew nothing of the 
matter until he reached Barrie. He immediately offered a re 
ward of $100 for the apprehension, or for information that would 
lead to the conviction, of the offender. Those birds led to many 
fights outside of cock fights, but were finally abandoned. 

The next new comers were JOHN BINGHAM and THRIFT 
MELDRUM. Meldrum bought a lot on Dunlop Street and en 
gaged David Edgar to build a house on it which he did, but it 
was found to be two feet on the street. Meldrum refused to pay 
for it until it was put in the proper place. Edgar refused to do 
this and got an axe and swore he would cut it down. Meldrum 
was obliged (as his family was ready to occupy it) to pay Edgar 
an extra sum to move it. Meldrum kept tavern in it for many 
years. In politics he was a Liberal. At the election in 1841, 
Wm. B. Robinson opposed Captain Steele, who was successful 
through the indirect influence of the Governor-General, Lord 
Sydenham, but at an enormous expense to himself. All the ho 
tels (with the exception of one) in Barrie were open houses for 
the accommodation of Steele supporters , and a committee 
was appointed who became responsible for all debts contracted. 
Meldrum s bill was ,99, 195, nf^d; Bingham s was over $1000; 



32 PIONEER PAPEUS. 



McCausland s, $500; but these amounts were very much re 
duced by the committee. He was appointed Crier of the Court 
under Judge Gowan and held this position for a considerable 
time. Mr. Meldrum died Dec. 6th, 1860, aged 75 years, and 
was interred in the old Presby n Cem y, Barrie. 

ROBERT ROSS was another of the first settlers in Barrie; 
he was a provincial land surveyor, also a carpenter and builder; 
he did not follow his profession as a surveyor, but confined him 
self to his trade, and accumulated considerable property. He 
was married the second time; had no children by his first wife, 
but several by the second, among whom were Dr. R. A. Ross 
who died some years ago, and Wallace, a printer. There are 
some daughters also; one became the wife of Mr. C. A. Per 
kins, retired grocer here. 

DAVID S. ROSS. A Scotchman who came to this country 
in company with his brother, Capt. Ross, who settled in Oro on 
the lakeshore near where Adams had taken up land. David soon 
after came to Barrie and was the second to start a store in the 
town in a log building which was afterward used as a schoolhouse. 
From Barrie he went to the states, but eventually came back to 
Canada, and after the Northern Railway was built he was ap 
pointed station master at Holland Landing. 

One of the first settlers was JOHN McCAUSLAND who la 
bored several years endeavoring to find out perpetual motion. 
He erected quite a number of buildings of very strange designs 
which caused passers by to gaze with wonder. They were filled 
with massive wooden wheels, which when put in motion would 
cause lookers on to shift their quarters to a considerable distance 
for fear the whole edifice might collapse as the creaking and un 
earthly sounds, combined with the vibration of the huge mass, 
was enough to cause stout hearts to tremble. He built the 
Episcopal church at Shanty Bay, which stands to-day as a last 
ing monument of John s early work. It was constructed, on the 
old Egyptian plan, of straw and mud made into huge bricks, 
somewhat of the style of the Egyptian pyramids on the banks 
of the Nile. His brother, DAVID McCAUSLAND, kept a hotel 
in the west end of the town for many years. 

RICHARD CARNEY also kept a hotel for a long time. He 
was a very upright and straightforward man. He received an 
appointment as custom house officer at Owen Sound. One of 
his sons is Sheriff at Sault Ste. Marie. After he left the hotel it 
was conducted by Edward Marks who subsequently built the 
"Barrie Hotel." 

C. CUNNINGHAM was the first shoemaker in Barrie. He 



PIONRER PAPERS. 33 



was patronized by the general community. In those days it was 
often remarked that shoemakers were not over conscious in re 
gard to their promises, and Cunningham was no exception to the 
rule. He would frequently have six or seven pairs of shoes part 
ly made, all promised for a certain day; and parties calling for 
their shoes always found him pegging away at them and could 
not reasonably find fault. But no sooner had they left the shop 
and he would see another party coming than he would in an in 
stant have the latter s shoes on his knees belting away ; and in 
this way he tried to please everyone. He was in the habit of 
spreeing at times and when intoxicated was very turbulent and 
frequently was hauled up and fined. But after some citizens had 
made many fruitless attempts to reform the man, he was at 
length sentenced to jail, and as there was no such convenience 
in Barrie at the time he was ordered to Toronto. TM-O constab 
les were deputed to take him there, but he refused to walk; a 
horse was procured and he was assisted to mount ;but no sooner 
was he on than he would throw himself off. An expedient was 
tried by tying his legs under the horse s belly ; but even then he 
managed to turn the saddle. After many unsuccessful attempts 
he was finally liberated on trial for good behaviour. 

Notes by W. H. Hewson and others. 

At the meeting of the Society on May n, 1898, when Wal 
ton s list of the first residents of Barrie, prior to 1837, was taken 
up, and each person discussed, the following members among 
others, were present and took part in the discussion, viz., Judge 
Ardagh, John Darby, Robert Grose, Wm. H. Hewson, Alex. 
Smith, and John L. Warnica, Mr. Hewson being the chief con 
tributor, the recollections contributed by him being indicated 
throughout by his initials, (W. H.) 

LUCIUS BOYINGTON. He was a native of Kentucky, 
and followed shingle-making at Kempenfeldt about the time this 
list was made. He had no family, and afterward lived in Stroud. 
The people usually shortened his name to Boynton. (W. H.) 

JOHN BINGHAM. He kept the "Queen s Arms" Hotel, 
where the Queen s Hotel is now. Before coming to Barrie he 
kept a hotel on Church Street, Toronto. He was a native of 
England; was married, but had no children. He was married 
before they came from England. Mrs. Bingham was a stout, 
portly woman, a genuine English landlady, worthy and dignified, 
and they kept a good hotel. Besides John, there were the fol 
lowing brothers: Henry, Robert, Joseph, William and Ed 
ward and two sisters, Mary and Martha. Henry was a butcher, 



34 PIONEKR PAPERS. 



and has descendants in town. Robert kept a hotel in Bradford. 
Joseph was a tanner ; and Edward a butcher. William died in 
England. One sister, Mary, was married to a John Wilkie, a 
blacksmith, who lived at Coldwater, later he worked with Mr. 
Butterfield in Bradford, and then in Barrie. Martha married a 
Mr. Laing, who built and lived in the house just east of the Clark- 
son House. 

LESLIE CALDWELL. (Not named in Walton s list, as he 
had died before). This early resident had but a short career. 
He and David S. Ross came to Barrie from Toronto to open a 
store. Two carpenters, Buchanan and Fraser, came up from 
Toronto and built two houses exactly alike. One was where Mr. 
Hoar s hardware store stands and the other was on the north side 
of Dunlop Street, in front of Judge Ardagh s Conservatory. Then 
Caldwell and Ross came up from Toronto and in one of the hous 
es opened a store. There was a big fire on a Sunday, and Cald 
well exerted himself so much that he became over-heated, took 
inflammation of the lungs, and died. All this occurred before 
the Rebellion. He was a brother of Mrs. Richardson (Prudence 
Caldwell) who died Feb. n, 1879, aged 80 years, (Barrie Union 
Cemetery.) (W. H.) 

DUGALD CAMPBELL. He was a tailor, and moved into 
Barrie some time after 1834. The Government built quite a 
large log building at Lane s corner (Mulcaster Street), and also 
two or three shanties behind it for emigrants ; and Dugald Camp 
bell lived in one of those. He and his wife were natives of Scot 
land. His wife, especially, was an enthusiastic Scot, and every 
Scotchman who came along was a connection of hers. She would 
say: "If he is no my cousin, he is my good man s cousin, for we 
are all cousins." He lived in Nottawasaga latterly when that 
township began to be settled extensively. (W. H.) 

JAMES CAMPBELL. He was a native of Ireland, and a 
shoe-maker. He was living in Barrie in the summer of 1833 and 
had probably come that year. He owned the lot at the south 
west corner of Dunlop and Sampson streets, and had a shop and 
a house on it, on the bank, where he lived for some years. Then 
he built a frame house on the lot immediately opposite, on Dun 
lop Street, and succeeded pretty well for a time, but afterward 
"ran through everything." The elder Mr. Strathy afterward 
occupied the same house. (W. H.) 

RICHARD CARNEY kept a little inn on the north side of 
Dunlop Street, where the store at 46 Dunlop St. now stands. 
In 1832 he erected the log tavern here for the accommodation of 



PIONEER PAPERS. 35 



travellers and others, and continued in it until the setting apart 
of Grey County, when he was appointed Collector of Customs at 
Owen Sound; subsequently he became Sheriff of Algoma and 
passed the remainder of his life at Sault Ste. Marie. His son 
W. H. Carney became his successor as Sheriff. 

WILLIAM CARSON. (An early inhabitant not named in 
Walton s list). This was the father of William Carson of Vespra. 
He lived at the foot of Bayfield Street. There was a kind of 
knoll near the foot of the street, on which he built a shanty and 
lived there some time. (W. H.) 

RICHARD COBB. This man s name was pronounced 
Cobe by everyone, but the correct spelling is uncertain. Cobe 
and David McCausland carried the mail from Holland Landing 
to Coldwater, the first regular mail that was started. They did 
not run a stage ; they only carried the mail. Edward and Miles 
McDonald had been the first regular mail carriers ; before them 
there were only despatches from the Government carried by 
Indians. They used to carry it week about from Holland Lan 
ding to Penetanguishene. Edward would start one Monday and 
Miles would start the next Monday ; and they would go to the 
Landing and carry the mail on their backs to Penetanguishene. 
Cobe and McCausland carried the mail on horseback. Cobe was 
an Irishman, and Mrs. Cobe had the same native country. He 
liked "a drop of the era tur" and Mrs. Cobe likewise. (W.H.) 

C. CUNNINGHAM. He was a shoemaker, and was a na 
tive of Ireland. He lived in front of the present post office. 
There was a knoll there, and his house was on top of that knoll. 
Latterly, he lived about a mile south of Holland Landing sta 
tion, on top of the hill, in the house where Samuel Lount had 
formerly lived. (W. H.) 

JANE DUGGAN. (See Narrative by Mr. Sneath). 

DAVID EDGAR. This man became the owner of the east 
part (50 acres) of Lot 24 in the 5th Concession, Vespra, now 
wholly within the town, and lying just west of Bayfield Street. 
Soon after marriage, he and his wife came to Barrie to occupy 
the land just mentioned. The young couple took up their abode 
for at least three years or more in the deserted Government store 
house. Then in 1832 he erected a house on his land. It was 
located on Toronto Street, of the present day, some distance 
south of Elizabeth Street. The family of Mr. Edgar consisted of 
three children. In the fall of 1840, when they were living in 
Toronto, he was found dead. His widow and family removed to 
Belleville, where they resided for many years. 



3G PIONEER PAPERS. 



FIDEL. (Not named in Walton s list). He was the 
first blacksmith in Barrie. His shop was near the corner of 
Poyntz and Dunlop Streets, immediately in front of Dr. Morton s, 
on the shore where Dr. Pass afterward had his surgery. This 
shop was gone before 1842. Mr. Fidel, who lived 
four miles west of Cookstown, was a relative of this man. W.) 
H.) 

ANDREW GRAHAM. He was a native of Co. Ferman 
agh, Ireland, where he was born in 1806, and came to Car.ada in 
1828. He lived for a few years in the neighborhood of Toronto, 
and in 1834 came to Barrie, where he spent the remainder of his 
life. In 1835 he married Miss Mary Noble. He began business 
in Barrie as a tanner; he also made boots ard shoes, and later 
kept a general store. In 1843, or m the year preceding it, he 
was a strong advocate of Barrie for the County to^n, when the 
question was rife, ard it is said he canvassed the county on 
horseback in the town s interests. He was one of the founders 
of Methodism in Barrie, some of the early meetings havirg been 
held in his house. His membership in this church was of 7 6 years 
duration. His wife died in 1884. He died, April 4, 1898, at the 
ripe age of 92 years. 

THOMAS GRAHAM. This was another of the preceding, 
next in the family to Andrew, who was the eldest. His name is 
in the early Patentee List, but not in Walton s. He was a car 
penter by trade, and resided in Barrie, though perhaps after the 
list was prepared. William and Alexander were younger bro 
thers who arrived in Barrie, shortly afterward. 

TIMOTHY HAGGART. As his name appears under 
Sunnidale in Walton s Directory for 1837, he was probably living 
in that township at the time, or held land there, but was a resi 
dent of early Barrie, both before the year name d and afterward 
for many years. His wife had been a Miss Perry, a daughter of 
John Perry, subsequently named in this list. Mr. Haggart was 
said to be an excellent hewer with the broadaxe. 

FRANCIS HEWSON. He was a native of Ireland, came 
to Canada in 1817, and purchased 500 acres of land at Big Bay 
Point as soon as Innisfil Township was surveyed in 1820. In 
that year his family arrived from Ireland and he settled at once 
on the land. Soon after his settlement he was appointed Justice 
of the Peace, and it is said that, as a magistrate, he performed 
the first marriage ceremony that took place in Simcoe County. 
He came with his family from Big Bay Point to Barrie in the 
spring of 1834, (moved up on the ice of the Bay), and lived 
next to where Judge Ardagh s place is now situated. His sons 




WILLIAM H. HEWSON, 

From a photograph, March, 1880, 

(b. Jan. 22, 1818, d. Jan. 10, 1903.) 



PIONECR PAPERS. 37 



were Francis, who afterward resided in Nottawasaga, at Dun- 
troon; and William, who took part in the proceedings at this 
meeting. He also had three daughters. 

JONATHAN LANE. As he lived at Kempenfeldt in 1836, 
he does not come in this list, but was usually reckoned one of 
Barrie s first settlers, having moved to town afterward. He 
lived above the hill at Kempenfeldt. He was a tailor, and after 
ward was Postmaster and Clerk of the County Court. 

JOHN MACWATT In 1835 or 1836 John Mac Watt came 
from Oliver s (the Raikes farm in Oro) and entered Sanford s 
store as a clerk. But at the time the list was prepared, he was 
not living here; he was across the Bay at Tollendal; which 
explains the omission of his name from the list. In 1840 he 
purchased Sanford s business, and secured the Post Office, which 
he kept in connection with the store. 

FRANCIS MARTIN. He was a carpenter, or worked at 
this trade. He built a big wooden building south of Elizabeth 
Street, near John Street. He was a constable, or acted in this 
capacity now and then ; Francis Hewson the magistrate used to 
employ him to act as constable sometimes. Mr. Martin was 
an Irishman. His son Thomas became a printer, and John, the 
second son, was a stationary engineer, or machinist. 

FRANCIS MEIGHEN. (See Mr. Sneath s recollections). 

THRIFT MELDRUM. At an early period this man had, at 
Tollendal, a distillery, which was destroyed by fire. In Barrie 
he had a tavern near the northeast corner of Poyntz and Dunlop 
Streets, and was Crier of the Court for some years. He was a 
native of Fifeshire, Scotland, and died Dec. 6, 1860, aged 75 
years, his remains now resting in the Old Presbyterian Cemetery, 
Barrie- (See Mr. Soules Recollections for some further darticu- 
lars). 

RICHARD McCOY. (Mis-spelled "Molloy" in the original 
list). He was a native of Earnest-town, Co. Tyrone, Ireland, and 
a shoemaker. His wife was a daughter of John Perry, mention 
ed further in this list. He built and lived in a small house on the 
west side of Bay field Street, between Dunlop Street and the Bay. 
When Mr. Perry died, McCoy became the occupant of the Perry 
house further west near John Street. (W. H.) 

JAMES MORRISON. He lived in Barrie at this time (1837) 
and afterward kept a hotel at Morrison s Corners, now Craighurst, 
which at one time bore his name. He was a nephew of Leslie 
Caldwell and Mrs. Richardson (See "Caldwell" above), and by 
birth an Englishman, or rather, he was a native of the Island of 
Jersey, off the coast of France. (W. H.) 



38 PIONEER PAPERS. 



JOHN McCAUSLAND. At first this man lived with his 
family in a shanty on the bank, on the south side of Dunlop 
street, just east of Mulcaster Street. Here he commenced to 
make a "Perpetual Motion" machine. He worked at this fad 
and kept adding to the shanty until he had built a pile of wood 
of very large size; so large, in fact, that at last Francis Hewson, 
who lived across the street, entered a complaint about it to the 
Council. Then he built another structure on the north side of 
Collier Street, just west of Clapperton St., but this did not be 
come so extensive a building as the one on the shore. He drew 
all the stuff from the shore building to this one. The machinery, 
if such it can be called, seemed to have no proportion at all, and 
was chiefly of wood. In one part of it he would have pieces as 
much as two or three feet square, and then use a small piece no 
more than two or three inches square at the outside, on which to 
work the larger part. It is said by some that he spent a good 
deal of money in this work; but be this as it may, he spent 
years and years of time and labor. His brothers said he would 
never do anything but work at that fad; his family actually 
lacked the bare necessities of life, at times, because of this ; and 
the owner of the shanty recovered no rent from him on the same 
account. He moved with his family, finally, to Nottawasaga; 
but continued to work at "Perpetual Motion" until he died. 
(W. H.) 

DAVID McCAUSLAND. He and Richard Cobe kept a 
tavern at first on the southwest corner of Elizabeth and Bayfield 
Streets, and also carried the mail from Holland Landing to Cold- 
water. (See "Cobe" above.) Everybody, or almost every 
body, kept a tavern in those days as there was no license act 
like the present one. Then David and Cobe dissolved partner 
ship; David bought a lot across the street, where the Welling 
ton Hotel now stands, built a house on it, and kept a tavern there. 
Thomas and Alex. McCausland, brothers of the foregoing, came 
to Barrie two or three years after them, and their names do not 
occur in Walton s list. Thomas drove the stage from Barrie to 
Holland Landing, at a later time. (W. H.) 

JOHN McDONALD. This man was a tailor, one of the first 
of this trade in the town. He had a house on the north side of 
Dunlop Street, between Poyntz and Sampson Streets. He had 
come to Barrie early, and was probably gone before the Rebel 
lion. The presence of so many taverns in the early years of the 
town gave a sinister turn to his character. (W. H.) 

P. McGUIRE. (Not named in the list). This man, a tail 
or, by trade, lived in Barrie before the Rebellion. He was here 



PIONEBB PAPERS. 39 



as early as 1834, but it appears he had no place of his own, and 
resembled McDonald in habits. When the settlers gathered up 
to go to Toronto at the Rebellion he followed them part of the 
way around the head of the Bay, singing war songs. For a time 
he lived a short way out in Vespra Township. His daughter 
married John Hamilton, a brother of Wm. B. Hamilton who af 
terward kept the Collingwood post office, and moved to King 
ston. (W. H.) 

WILLIAM NESBITT. An Irishman, by birth, and a car 
penter, by trade. His house, (a small log building) stood on the 
north side of Dunlop Street, between Poyntz and Sampson 
Streets. According to the best information to be had, he left no 
descendants. His brother Robert married a sister of Andrew 
Graham, Miss Isabella Graham, in or about 1834, but he did not 
remain in Barrie after he was married. (W. H.) 

JOHN PERRY. He was a native of Ireland. His house, 
which he built, was on the west side of John Street, a little way 
south of Elizabeth Street. Mr. Haggart and Mr. McCoy, men 
tioned above, were married to daughters of Mr. Perry. Until 
his death four or five years after coming to Barrie, he lived in the 
house mentioned. He had moved here from Cookstown, which 
in those days was known as Perry s Corners. His eldest son 
John moved to Utopia, and his son George in later years kept the 
Wellington Hotel, some time before the Summersett family kept 
it. (W. H.) 

DAVID S. ROSS. This man first came to Barrie in 1835 r 
1836, probably in the latter year. He and Leslie Caldwell came 
and built a store on the west side of the present Queen s Hotel, 
where Mr. Graver afterward kept a hardware store. (See "Cald 
well" above). A portrait of this Mr. Ross appeared in the Toron 
to Globe of May 7, 1898, and it is stated in the text beside the 
portrait that he built the second house in Barrie. It was the 
second store he built ; there were many houses in Barrie when 
he arrived, but only one store, and he added the second. At the 
time of the publication of this portrait, he was living in Toronto 
at 91 years of age, and it also appears that he was the sole surviv 
or of the list of early residents of the place, at the date of this 
meeting. He has since passed over to the majority. 

ROBERT ROSS. He was an Irishman by birth, and a sur 
veyor by occupation. He had also some skill as a carpenter. 
(See also the remarks by Mr. S. L. Soules). 

S. M. SANFORD. He came to Barrie in 1832 and built the 
first store. His wife was a sister of the famous Charles Thomp- 



40 PIOXEER PAPERS. 



son of Yonge Street, the man who owned the early steamboats. 
Mr. Thompson had the contract of building the jail, and at one 
time owned a share in every stage that was running in Ontario , 
so it is said. (W. H.) (See also Mr. Sneath s Recollections). 

THOMAS SMITH. He was English by birth, and a black 
smith by trade. He built the first brick house in Barrie, viz.: 
the Harper house on Dunlop Street. His blacksmith shop was 
on the opposite side of the street. Thos. Ambler succeeded 
Smith as blacksmith, and Solomon Bailey succeeded Ambler 
about 1843. 

GEORGE STOKES. He was a carpenter by trade, and an 
Englishman by birth. He lived on Dunlop Street, a little west of 
Mr. Sanford s store, in a house in which Mr. Lane kept a store, 
some time after. (W. H.) 

WILLIAM STRONG. He was an Irishman by birth. His 
wife was Christina Graham, a sister of Andrew Graham. Their 
son James in later years was a merchant here, of the firm of 
Strong & Donnell. (W. H.) 

ALEX. WALKER. He was a Scotchman by birth, and 
was the first settler on th site of the town, having come here 
some years before David Edgar, the second settler came. His 
house was on the top of the first hill northeast of the corner of 
Collier and Bay field Streets. This hill has been much reduced in 
height, in subsequent years. 

(At the close of the meeting, the chairman, Judge Ardagh, 
took occasion to thank Mr. Hewson, the chief contributor, for 
the interesting information furnished about the early settlers. 

Of the original list of 28 names, to which 8 have been added, 
making a total of 36, over one-half were natives of Ireland. 



PRINTED BY THE EXAMINER, BARRIE, ONTARIO. 



Simcoe County Pioneer 



AND 



Historical Society 



PIONEER PAPERS No. 



BARRIE 
Published by the Society 

1908 




The Rev. Thomas Williams 



INTRODUCTION. 

These interesting" sketches of pioneer life in Simcoe County 
in the twenties and early thirties of the nineteenth century, from 
the pen of the Rev. Thomas Williams, appeared in the ORILLIA 
PACKET some years ago the first one in the issue of that journal 
for November 28th, 1890, and the rest at intervals for about a 
year. Mr. Williams was a native of London, England, and was 
a son of Richard Williams, who settled on lot 36 on the west, or 
Vespra, side of the Penetanguishene Road, near Craighurst, in the 
year 1822, when the subject of this sketch was not yet twelve 
years old. When Wellesley Richey was locating the original 
settlers of the Townships of Flos, Oro, Medonte, and Orillia, Thos. 
Williams was a member of his party, and he thus acquired a know 
ledge of the country when acting as "guide to the pioneers," 
whom he took to their allotments. He afterwards taught 
school at Orillia and Craighurst. One of his pupils at the latter 
place was the Rev. George McDougall, the pioneer Methodist 
missionary in the West. When he was nearly twenty-nine years 
of age he himself entered the Methodist ministry, in which he 
laboured indefatigably for fifty-five years, filling circuits from Am- 
herstburg to Sault Ste. Marie. When between sixty and seventy, 
he was Superintendent of Methodist Missions on Lake Superior, 
and in his yacht and on land performed labours which might have 
overwhelmed a much younger man. On accepting superannua 
tion he returned to Orillia, where he spent the evening of his 
life, vigorous and respected to the last. He passed away on the 
ist of February, 1899, in his ninetieth year. Possessed of a re 
markably good memory, Mr. Williams retained to the last vivid 
and accurate impressions of the pioneer days, and was fond of re 
lating his youthful experiences. The reminiscences preserved in 
the following pages were, however, as far as known, the only 
ones he committed to writing. 

On the i6th July, 1845, Mr. Williams married Deborah, 
second daughter of Robert Keays, of the Township of London. 
After spending upwards of fifty years of happy wedded life together, 
they passed away within a few days of one another, Mrs. 
Williams surviving her husband only four days. They had a 
family of ten children, of whom eight survived their parents. 



Memories of a Pioneer 

BY 

THE REV. THOS. WILLIAMS 



I. 

The intention to fulfil my promise to write up some of my 
memories of the early times of this North Simcoe country has 
not been absent from my mind, though the writing has not made 
its appearance. A difficulty seemed to stand in the way where 
should the beginning be made, and from what date should we 
start ? That trouble was overcome and a happy suggestion made 
by the extract from the Barrie EXAMINER you gave your readers 
last week. That gatherer seems to be working backward, and in 
the article you gave us, had got back quite to the beginning and 
to the borders of the region of myth. How much farther 1 in that 
direction he purposes to travel, we shall see. I am adrtlofiished 
that my memories must begin at the beginning and wor k fbtwafd. 
The point first noticed, and from whence the first work proceeded, 
seems to be the proper starting point to make intelligent wtork. 
To begin, then, I would say that settlement had been 1 made south 
of Lake Simcoe, in North Gwillimbury, near and 1 about Roache s 
Point, in the early years of this (igth) century, if riot a : little before. 
In the early summer of 1822 there were large clearings, Well-Tiulti- 
vated farms, old-looking and full-bearing orchards, and many old 
weather-Worn buildings ; and I remember also meeting grown-up 
young people of both sexes who were born in the country". All 
the region north of the lake remained an unbroken wilderness a 
real TERRA INCOGNITA to all the other settlements until the Waf of 
1812, the fur-traders alone traversing it along the line s (?f Indian 
travel. The most frequented of these was the Portage, of carry 
ing-place, from the head of Kempenfeldt Bay where Barrie now 
stands to a point where the waters of the Noctawasaga River 
would carry canoes and boats. This was the shortest, easiest, 
and most direct route, and most used communication between the 



io MEMORIES OF A PIONEER 



two lakes Simcoe and Huron being only a short nine miles be 
tween waters. It must have been used from very early times. 
There was one other route, with several carrying-places, and con 
sidered more difficult for large canoes or boats the route by the 
Severn River into Lake Couchiching, through the Narrows, on to 
the Talbot River ; up it as far as it would carry their canoes ; then 
to Balsam Lake, the chain of lakes of the Trent, to Bay of Quinte, 
and on to Kingston. This was a sort of covered way, used to 
carry intelligence from the rear to the military and naval head 
quarters at Kingston. Two things, it is thought, led the author 
ities to take up and occupy the strategical points on the eastern 
part of Lake Huron. It was this occupation which gave the initia 
tive to the first settlement of the country. The first of these 
things was the fact that it was most important to keep open com 
munication with Mackinaw, the Sault Ste. Marie, to Lake Super 
ior. The route by the St. Clair might be more easily closed, be 
ing nearer the centre of American power. The other thing was : 
our authorities had received intelligence that the Americans were 
preparing a force to attack the centre of our country from the 
narrowest point between Lakes Huron and Ontario. It was to 
meet both of these things, and to put obstacles in their way, that 
these strategic points were sought out and occupied. It was com 
paratively easy marching up Yonge-street and crossing Lake Sim 
coe. Then the work began. A road for waggons was made on 
the old Indian carrying-way, bridged and crosswayed. Store 
houses of logs, with their floors of flatted logs, and strong doors, 
were built at each end of the Portage, with one or two dwellings 
for the caretakers and for general accommodation. Most of 
these constructions were standing and in use in 1824-25, when I 
was familiar with them. The storehouses at the Nottawasaga 
end were quite large, as large as farmers good-sized log barns. At 
the Barrie end they were not so large. One of them stood in 
Barrie till 1838 or 1839. It took fire from some lime which Mr. 
Carney had stored in it. The dwellings at the Nottawasaga were 
a mile south of the storehouses, on the high, dry ground, the 
shores of the stream being low and swampy. There never was 
any fortification here, not even a stockade. When I first knew 
the present site of Barrie, in 1824, there were two pretty good 
houses of logs, with a good chimney of brick in the centre of each. 
They were in a line from the wharf and storehouses, between fifty 
and a hundred yards from the Bay. One house was very good, 
and was occupied by Mr. Alexander Walker and his men, who 
did the teaming on the Portage. A Mr. Edgar lived in this house 
up to the time that the town site of Barrie was surveyed, in 1834. 
I think it was burned a little before that time. The other house 



MEMORIES OF A PIONEER n 



was not in so good condition, the windows and floor being some 
what broken. It was, however, sometimes occupied by persons 
using the Portage as giving better shelter in a storm than tents. 
There had been other houses here. I could then have pointed 
out several foundations on which they once stood. One I remem 
ber in particular : one side wall of logs and part of both ends 
were still standing, and were used by Indians and others as 
firewood. I was told that the Indians had burned the others. 
At the time the work at the Portage was being carried on, another 
was begun, perhaps in conjunction with it. A small military post 
was established near the mouth of the Nottawasaga River, and, 
but for a grove of pretty tall pine trees, in full view of the bay of 
that name. Several strong log houses, loop-holed and stockaded, 
were constructed. Heavy guns, or artillery of any sort, were 
never there. The forts spoken of in the EXAMINER S articles, 
namesand all, must have come into existence long since thatperiod.* 
I could guarantee that the denizens of that time never heard 
of them. And the taking of the sleeping crew of certain American 
warships must also be classed among recent growths, for the 
reason that it was in itself a very unlikely thing, and that the 
people who were there more than sixty years ago, and were 
familiar with all the country s traditions, never heard of them. 
Of the names mentioned as authority something must be said. 
First, Mr. David Soules was a gentleman whose word would be 
taken for any statement he would see fit to make, wherever he 
was known. That he aided in building boats and other work of 
that time, that he saw manacled men led away as prisoners, 
there is no need to doubt. But the manacles would lead us to 
suppose they were not prisoners of war, but men taken in crime. 
Mr. David Soules, and his brother James, with their families, 
were the first settlers in the township of Innisfil. Francis Hewson, 
Esq., an Irish gentleman, settled on the south side of Big Bay 
Point, the Soules brothers a little to the west of it. In 1822 they 
had good cleared farms, comfortable log houses, stocks of cattle, 
and good barns. All round them an unbroken forest ; and they 
dealt hospitality to the pioneers beyond them with a kind and 
liberal hand. Many of these found more than shelter under the 
hospitable roofs of these first pioneers. Of Mr. McWatt, it is 
only right to say that he came to the country a young man of 
good antecedents and education, in 1832, and that no one ac 
quainted with him could suppose him capable of wishing to im- 

*Mr. Williams here refers to an article in the Barrio KXAMINKK of \ov.-mhcr 6th. 
1890, giving a traditional account of the naval attack upon the post at NottowasiiKii, by 
U. S. vessels, on August 13th, 1814. and the capture of two Amepr.m schoo 
"Tigress" and "Scorpion," by British forci-s near St. Joseph s Island, September 3rd 
and lith. 



12 MEMORIES OF A PIONEER 



pose an untrue tale on anybody, much less giye it wide circula 
tion by means of your much-read columns. It is clear that he 
did not originate the mythical in any of those wonderful stories. 
Some other fertile brain has been at work there, mixing up mat 
ters, if not inventing them. I will give in my next writing the 
traditions of some of these matters as they existed on the ground 
where they took place, back in " the 2os." 



MEMORIES OF A PIONEER 13 



II. 

It has occurred to me that just here I should try to give your 
readers some conception of what our country was like before its 
occupation for military purposes, or for settlement, in the period 
immediately before this occupation especially. Of one thing- I am 
certain, that several points were occupied as trading- posts, used 
for trade with the Indians, for their furs and peltries. One such 
trading- post, if not two, was established near the mouth of the 
Nottawasaga River, a little up the river from the military post. 
How long- before is more than I can venture to say ; I am led to 
think for some years. In the very early times of the fur trade, 
the traders planted their posts along- the front only. The Indians 
were encouraged to come long distances for the purposes of 
barter once a year, in the summer. Those whose hunting 
grounds were less distant, twice a year at the close of what the 
traders called their "fall and spring hunts." The "fall hunt" 
began in September or October, and ended when the severe cold 
came on, a little before Christmas. Those who had not far to 
travel came out, and either put in the severe months near the 
trading post or passed on farther to the front, into the settlements, 
and there remained until the snow would begin to harden towards 
spring. Then having made themselves very light and long hand- 
sleighs, pack on their household goods and smaller children and 
hie away to their hunting grounds, for the "spring hunt" and to 
make sugar. The best time for trapping the marten was in con 
nection with their sugar-making. The snow being hard, travelling 
was easy, and the fur in its prime condition. The best time for 
getting the otter was when the streams, frequented by them, began 
to have open places. The beaver and muskrat were caught later 
on. When the freshet came with its overflowing waters, the 
beaver left his winter quarters, on the smaller streams, came down 
with the flood to the larger waters ; here the sexes would meet 
and nature s purpose for the propagation of the species be served. 
While this excitement was on the beaver, they came to their 
meeting places in numbers, and were easily trapped and often 
shot, and their fur was in its best condition. The same thing 
applied to the muskrat and some other fur-bearing animals. It 



14 MEMORIES OF A PIONEER 



was the harvest to the Indians, the trapper, and the fur trader. 
The streams at that time were running full of fine fish which 
supplied them with abundance of food. It would not be easy in 
the present condition of the country to form a full conception of 
the abundance of the fur-bearing animals, and especially in the 
Nottawasaga Valley, before the settlement or even in the early 
years of the settlement. I will give two facts to illustrate this 
condition, and they will at the same time serve to shew the import 
ance of the fur trade at that period. A young man named Clark, 
the son of a military gentleman, settled on Yonge-street. He was 
commonly called Nat Clark." He had come under fascination 
of the fur traders and Indian life, so as to become very unsteady 
in his habits and to live a not very good life. But Nat was a good 
trapper and a good trader. Meeting me one day he invited me (I 
was also a trapper) to join him in a marten hunt in the month of 
November, 1828, in the country between what is now Orillia and 
Barrie. He said, "The country has not been hunted over for 
years, and is full of marten. I intend doing it myself, but would 
like you for a partner." He went alone, and in three weeks came 
out with eighty marten skins, a fisher or two, and a fox furs 
worth at that time $100. The second case I give was in the fall of 
1834. An Indian friend of mine called on us as he was going alone 
to his fall hunt and shewed me his equipment. His gun, an old-fa 
shioned single-barrelled shot-gun, called a Chief-Piece, two small 
rather lively steel traps, his ammunition, powder, shot, bullets, 
caps, &c. , about twenty-five pounds of flour, a piece of bacon, a 
small dish of butter (for Jonas had cultivated civilised habits and 
tastes) with a stock of tea and sugar, a load with his blankets of 
about fifty pounds. When he would reach the region of his 
operations he would construct a comfortable camp to which he 
would return after his work, from miles around, and in it pass 
his time when the weather was disagreeable or stormy, and his 
Sundays. He was a good Christian and strict Sabbatarian. In 
less than four weeks he came back carrying to us, in addition to 
his other load, the hindquarters of the last deer he had killed. He 
said he only killed deer when he needed meat, and for two 
skins to make his moccasins. He carried his furs to Toronto and 
sold them to Joseph Rogers for over 150. I mention these two 
cases that your readers may form some true notion of the excite- 
mentand money in the fur trade in early times. These cases occurred 
just before the-country began to be filled with settlers. What must 
have been the abundance of these animals in these forests and along 
these rivers and streams in the still earlier days, before the greed 
of the fur trader had urged the Indian to wage upon the beautiful 
animals an exterminating warfare ? In the last days of the fur 



MEMORIES OF A PIONEER 15 



trade in these parts and in other places, many people went into 
it, called by the old firms "private traders." So eager were 
these that they and the agents of the old firms would follow the 
Indian into his hunting- ground to get the first sight of his furs and 
urge him to sell, carrying to him the cursed firewater. There can 
be no doubt but the Indian people of these countries would be far 
more numerous, and have far more stamina of mind and body 
to-day but for the fur trade and the men engaged in it. I never 
heard that any one of these men was ever suspected of being good 
men. Perhaps the Smith family, of Port Hope, and they operated 
in these parts, might be considered an exception. They had a 
good name, and this still lives. The others are scattered ; also 
their wealth. They crazed the Indian with the firewater, took it 
to him everywhere, and when crazed they robbed him. They sent 
among the Indians bad men, who corrupted him and his family, 
and left him diseased in body as well as mind a disease he could 
not help transmitting to following generations. It was thought, 
even long ago, that the money made in the fur trade with the 
Indians in this country was all blood-stained. In the foregoing I 
try to convey a conception of the transition period of our country 
between the old fur trade times and settlement. 



1 6 MEMORIES OF A PIONEER 



III. 

I have not seen in writing, nor heard in statement, a descrip 
tion of the Nottawasaga Portage, or carrying way, its importance, 
and the work done upon it in the early times. I will now try to 
give this, so as to produce some conception of it, as it appeared 
to me in the summer of 1824, as I put in between three and four 
months of that summer in work connected with it. It is my 
opinion, drawn from conversation with Indians, fur-traders and other 
people, and from personal observation of the surroundings, that 
this Portage was used by the Indians as a carrying way between 
waters from very early times ; that the military authorities merely 
improved upon an old highway to suit their purposes connected 
with the war of 1812-15. The importance of the work may be 
judged of from the fact that an officer of the commissariat had his 
station at the Nottawasaga end of the road for some of the years 
of the war, and afterwards the name of one of these officers has 
come down to us, with some of the incidents of his life while there. 
These may be gathered up, with other things of like character, 
and given as addenda when we come towards the end of these 
" Memories." At the time of which I write the position of guard 
to the storehouses was filled by a corporal (from the detachment 
of soldiers serving then at Penetanguishene) who with his wife 
and family lived there, of whom something more shall be said in 
the personal addenda promised. The teaming work of the Portage 
was done by Alexander Walker, a border Scotchman. To me it 
seemed that he was the contractor with the commissariat and the 
fur-traders for the work. To assist him there was a negro man 
called Ben, and myself, a lad of fourteen years. This was the 
portage family, and we lived in the best of the government houses 
then standing. There were three strong waggons with racks on 
them, such as a man would make with an axe, a drawing knife 
and a couple of augers, with two loose planks for a bottom, and 
a yoke of strong oxen to each waggon. The load was twelve 
barrels of flour or their equivalent in weight of other matter. It 
was never expected that all three teams should be on the road on 
the same day. Each team with its teamster had two days in 
succession on the road, then a day of rest for the team, while 



MEMORIES OF A PIONEER 17 



the driver had charge and care of the premises and goods, received 
and receipted goods if any came by boats, and did the hospitalities 
besides keeping busy chiming up the barrels for next day s load. 
The portage being only a short nine miles over, the storehouses 
ample and secure, it was easy to make the journey, deliver the 
goods, and return, while a good portion of the afternoon remained. 
Mostly we took our lunch with the corporal the oxen had theirs 
in the rich grass which grew abundantly in the openings at that 
end of the road. In the fine summer weather and long days, it 
was not an unpleasant service. For tv o or three months the 
teams were on the road nearly every day, when the forenoon was 
not raining. Mr. Walker would never start in the rain, nor 
would he " hitch up" on Sunday. He could not be made to do it 
under the heaviest pressure from people in a hurry to get their 
goods over. He was careful to tell people he did not regard the 
religious obligation ; did not, in fact, believe in it. It was on the 
ground of economy man and beast needed rest ; must have it or 
break down. It was as well to take this rest on Sunday. As to 
Ben and myself, we both thought we had religious scruples. 
Walker professed to respect them, and left us to do pretty much 
as we liked. We would find our own pleasures, not working 
more than we could help. The goods were brought to us over 
Lake Simcoe in small sailing vessels, one of which was owned and 
commanded by Eli Beaman, a half-brother of the Honourable 
Robinsons Chief-Justice John B., Peter, andW. B., all of whom 
held offices which entitled them to be designated honourable. 
The other vessels were owned and commanded by other parties. 
I cannot now recollect the names ; but, no matter. These vessels 
gave the settlers their only means of getting out to the front in 
the summer. The ice of the winter gave them good sleigh roads, 
and was much used. The land road through West Gwillimbury 
and Innisfil was not opened until some years after. I am writing 
of 1824 and before. Besides the supplies for the " Naval and 
Military Establishment" at Penetanguishene going by this Portage, 
there were two great fur-trading companies which took much of 
their goods by this route. The firm name of one was " P. & W. 
Robinson." Their monogram, or mark, was made like this 
WR. The other company was called " Borland & Roe," and 
their mark was made in this way gR. These large companies 
had absorbed most of the small traders, by employing them as 
branch-posts. About this time, and before, the Imperial 
authorities were carrying on a survey of the great upper lakes- 
Huron and Superior under direction of Captain Bayfield, R.N., 
which survey extended over several years, and employed quite a 
large party of men. And just then, or the year afterwards, 



1 8 MEMORIES OF A PIONEER 



Captain Franklin, R.N., afterwards Sir John Franklin, went this 
way to make his effort to reach the Pole by the land route. A lad 
of my acquaintance, as guide, took eighteen of his men, Canadian 
French voyageurs, up the Penetanguishene Road, to meet the 
party at Penetanguishene, the officers and goods going by the 
portage and water route. Other parties, not connected with 
either of the above, used the portage, some of them moving 
towards the north, others in the opposite direction. One party 
coming south took my attention particularly, the principal of 
which was an elderly gentleman, named Thompson,* who was 
said to have been a commissioner, in conjunction with an officer 
of Engineers of the United States army, who was with the 
party, after the commissioners had given over the Columbia 
River Territory (making now two States of their Union) to the 
Americans. I have heard that the British commissioners under 
valued the territory because the salmon of the Pacific refused to 
take a fly. This party, passing us in 1824, it was said, had been 
agreeing upon, and marking out, particular points on the new 
boundary, made necessary by the surrender of territory. They 
travelled by their own beautiful bark canoes two of them one 
propelled by ten men, the other by eight, North West voyageurs. 
They had crossed the entire continent, from the Columbia River, 
as we saw them, and would go east from Lake Simcoe by the 
canoe route of the Trent and its chain of lakes to Kingston, and 
from thence by the Rideau to Montreal. I never in my life saw 
such complete outfit for comfort in travelling as with this party. 
Their tents, when set up, impressed me as luxurious everything 
to contribute to comfort and taste in such a life. I was also much 
interested in the members of the party the commissioner, his son 
and secretary, " the Colonel," a long, lank American, but a very 
interesting gentleman, and their three servants, besides the 
eighteen canoe-men, or voyageurs. No party or doing of the 
whole season interested me so much. 



*David Thompson, Geographer to the late North West Company, was engaged on 
this Commission, from 1816 to 1826(?), in surveying the Boundary Line on the part of 
Great Britain. 



MEMORIES OF A PIONEER 19 



IV. 

So far in my narrative of things on the old portage I have not 
mentioned the Indians, yet they were with us the whole season in 
greater or less numbers. They were far more numerous at that 
time than now in the whole country. Up to that time there had 
been no effort to civilise or to Christianise them, except in very rare 
and isolated cases, if we except the institution among the 
Mohawks on the Grand River, near Brantford, sustained by the 
New England Company, and in charge of the Anglican Church. 
In Lower Canada the Romanists had some very old missions. The 
Indians in these parts had received no attention in that direction. 
They were following the ways of their fathers in everything of 
that nature, only perhaps in some things influenced unconsciously 
and without design by the habits, doings, and spirit of the people 
who were filling up their country and crowding them out of sight. 
I am tempted here to give a brief sketch of their religion, as I 
learned of it from well-informed people among them. They had a 
firm belief in the supernatural. In all my acquaintance with them 
I never met a person who had any difficulty in crediting things 
outside of natural processes. In my familiarity with them, all 
through my pretty long life, I never knew them reject a tale on 
account of it being marvellous or wonderful. The more so it 
seemed to be, the more it took their attention and excited their 
awe. I have heard people maintain that the Indian has no religion 
while in his old condition. We often meet such a declaration 
floating in the literature of the present day, and seeming to be 
very much credited. It has, however, no foundation in fact, but 
rises very naturally out of the ignorance of the persons making it, 
and their cherished sentiment towards them, as they mostly belong 
to the class who adopt the motto that " the only good Indian is the 
dead one." Instead of being without a religion it might be said 
of them as it was said by an Apostle of the cultured men of Athens, 
" they were too superstitious ;" too much disposed to give worship 
to a multitude of deities, while unable to form a conception of the 
true God and his claim on their love and devotion. To the mind 
of the Indian the whole world, as he conceives of it, is inhabited 
everywhere by beings not seen by man. Many of them have the 



2o MEMORIES OF A PIONEER 



power and disposition to interfere with him in his life and doings. 
Some are feared as evil disposed. These he endeavours to make 
favourable by offerings and other services. Indeed the Indian 
cannot suffer from sickness and other ills to which life is subject, 
without seeing in them the agency of these spirits of evil. In 
his old condition he was in constant bondage to his fears of the 
interference of these invisible and capricious beings. But such a 
condition is not peculiar to the aborigines of this country. Such 
a state of things is found everywhere, in all countries outside of 
civilisation. It was a good thing when men, influenced by the 
spirit of Christ, took to the Indian the blessed Gospel, if it only 
saved him from the bondage of his old superstitions. After the 
above seeming digression, I must get back to what I am to say 
of the Indians and the portage. On some of the days, when it 
fell to my lot to be at home, I have often counted between twenty 
and thirty canoes coming stealthily up the north shore of the Bay 
each canoe bearing an Indian family and in a little, as many 
little blue smokes, under the spreading branches of the pine trees 
which stood somewhat wide apart where the houses of Barrie now 
stand, would tell where each family had erected its temporary 
dwelling. And here we would soon have a little village, with its 
village noises the voices of men and women, children and dogs, 
each employed as their wont led them ; some at work the 
women especially ; some smoking, or otherwise idling with the 
children, and often playing. The men who intended leaving soon 
would be turning up their canoes to dry out, so they would be 
lighter for the portage. I have seen some immediately set up a 
temporary workshop and go to work either to build or to repair a 
canoe. The women would soon erect a frame of poles, cut in 
the woods, on which they would begin weaving mats with the 
rushes and flags they had gathered and seasoned at the mouth of 
the Holland and other rivers they had come along. The old 
women would be preparing the inner bark of the basswood, by 
boiling it in wood ashes and washing and beating it, spin it into 
twine, to weave in with the flags and rushes in making the mats 
to furnish the wigwam for the winter. Some of them would only 
stay long enough to dry out and gum the canoe, then pursue their 
leisurely journey. Others of them would stay a few days. Seldom 
any of them stayed for a week. It seemed just long enough to 
finish the work they had in hand, then go, and others would 
come. They were seldom wholly absent more than a day or so at 
a time, coming and going in single families, or in groups of 
families. One reason I judged that they did not stay longer was that 
their natural supplies were never abundant in the vicinity. There 
were few berries and it was not a good place for fishing. I have 



MEMORIES OF A PIONEER 21 



sometimes met them at their landing-place, and saw them throw 
out some fine fish speared on the journey lake trout, suckers, 
and now and then a whitefish, caught on the lake or down the bay. 
There were places on the lakes and on the Nottawasaga River 
where fish could be got in quantities all through summer, and 
even through the ice in winter. To these places the Indians 
would resort when they wished to stay for a length of time, their 
corn and potato gardens being mostly near these places. The 
Indians never used the teams on the portage to aid in their 
carrying. They used it merely as a road to pack over their own 
goods and canoes. The Indian carrying his canoe was a sight 
worth seeing. In fixing for the carrying, he would lash a piece 
of light but strong flat timber across the middle of the canoe, so 
that the hinder part was slightly the heaviest when balanced on 
this crosspiece ; then the two paddles would he lashed to the 
crosspiece and one of the thwarts, with their blades towards the 
stern, with space between them for the bearer s head. When 
ready for the start the canoe would be tilted up, often against a 
tree or some other support, with the bottom up, and the Indian 
would insert his head between the paddle blades, which would 
rest upon his shoulders, the crosspiece coming behind his neck. 
With his hands on the gunwales he would raise it to a horizontal 
position, then start on a smart walk or slight trot. In warm 
weather his costume would be the very lightest possible, consisting 
of three articles besides his moccasins. First a shirt of some 
printed cotton stuff, in bright colours, scarcely reaching below his 
buttocks ; the cloth of modesty, or as he would call it, his 
" awn-si-awn," and his " metoss-sun," or leggings, coming just 
over the knee and gartered below it a figure which would have 
delighted the sculptor or artist with its Apollo-like proportions. 
The Indians were at that time certainly factors in the interest of 
the portage, and contributed to its scenery the whole season. To 
me they were always an interesting people. I watched them and 
their doings with all the zest of a student. While here I picked 
up a smattering of their language, and being in the playing period 
of my life, their boys were my playfellows when I could find time 
for play ; and hearty, good-natured players they were never coarse 
or quarrelsome, very lithe and active, and hard to beat in the 
plays known to them. Once, or perhaps twice, in the course of 
that summer there was some drinking and drunkenness among 
them, but I cannot recall a single instance of such wrong-doing 
as would call for censure or punishment, while the example of 
the white people who associated with them could not be considered 
the best. I had the impression then, and was given to wondering 
very much over it, and it has been with me ever since, that, as a 



22 MEMORIES OF A PIONEER 



people, the aborigines of our country were entitled to far more 
consideration than they ever received, either from the Government 
or the sentiment of the people who were coming into the 
possession of the beautiful country from which they have very 
nearly faded away. 



MEMORIES OF A PIONEER 23 



V 

In the last copy I sent you I had not completed my description 
of the portag-e and the people using- it. One class of these have 
not yet been mentioned the employees or assistants in the fur- 
trade. These were mostly French-Canadians, and were apparently 
of two classes. A number of them affected a little g-entility, and 
were educated so as to be clerks and managers of the minor posts. 
The greater part were voyageurs, labourers, and servants of the 
first mentioned. I can recall several names among them our 
late townsman, Mr. Athenies King, and Messrs. Rousseau, 
Pneur, Bapp, Corbiene, Doucette, and others. Some of these 
employees had been in the service of the North-West and Hudson s 
Bay Companies. Some of them had come directly from the 
French settlements of Canada, west and east. It appeared as if 
the ability to speak French as well as Indian was a necessity of 
the service. I do not remember seeing a white woman among 
these people. I am quite sure that not one passed the portage 
that season in connection with trading people. Most of the men 
had Indian women as wives, or, as I might say of some of them, 
as concubines. With some, the poorer men mostly, they were 
wives. The relation seemed to be life-long ; the men had sought 
the sanction of Christian marriage. With others the unions were 
temporary, and even changeable. There are some things which 
may be considered as tending to produce, if not in some measure 
accounting for, this loose condition of social morals. The 
country where the traders operated was unorganised territory 
" Indian country"- beyond law. The men engaged in it did not 
seek homes there and never affected high morals. Besides, the 
Indian notion, in his old condition, of marital obligations did not 
take in the idea of a life-long union. The lack of agreement and 
choice was considered sufficient to limit it. It must, however, be 
said of the Indians that many couples among them finding strong 
mutual preference and affection growing towards each other, lived 
long and happily together into extreme old age. I have known 
several such. In all such cases it brings great respect to them 
from their own people, and they are pointed to as worthy 
examples to follow. With other families among them the history 



24 MEMORIES OF A PIONEER 



was different. They made no objection to people contracting to 
live together for longer or shorter periods, unless the desertion of 
children followed. Even in that case the Indians cared for them. 
They grew up with their mother s people, and some coming to fill 
places of honour and influence as chiefs with them. When trade 
with the Indians grew slack and less remunerative, some of these 
men, of what might be considered the higher, if not the better, 
sort, seeking their living in other directions, did forsake the Indian 
women and their children, sought and took to them civilised 
wives in the settlements. Others, and the poorer men especially, 
remained attached to their families. With the breaking up of 
this trade these men scattered and found homes and a living else 
where. Some went east to Lower Canada ; others found means 
of a living in the settlements of English-speaking people, where we 
at this time find here and there a family bearing a French name, 
while the family are wholly English-speaking Protestants, but 
Canadian, and often among the most enterprising and well 
doing of their neighbourhood, such as the Fleurys, Thibaudos, 
Lavignes, and others. Others of them are found in different 
settlements around the lakes, as far north and farther than Sault 
Ste. Marie and Lake Superior, where a few years since I found 
acquaintances of my early days. And yet others of them remained 
attached to the different Indian bands with whom they once 
traded, as fishermen and trappers, their families becoming fully 
identified with the Indians. They are to be found in all the 
bands, and are in many cases their best people. With an item or 
two more I must cease writing of the old portage and the bustling 
people who made use of it. It did to me seem a pity that all the 
life once seen there should pass beyond recall into the oblivion of 
the past. I have done my utmost to impress the present with the 
shadowy memories of some of the life of those early days. In the 
later years of " the Twenties," say 1827-8 or 9, the old portage 
was forsaken for a better, though longer, road ; I think first from 
the site of our good town (Orillia) to Hogg Bay, afterwards to 
Coldwater as its northern terminus. 

In my earlier writing of the portage I introduced my readers 
to the Corporal. I did not say much of him, only that he stood 
guard over the storehouses, with their contents, at the northern 
terminus of the road. I must give him a fuller introduction. He 
was a member of, and a non-commissioned officer in, the y6th 
Regiment of the Line, which was then occupying the old garrison 
at York, now Toronto, a portion of which regiment did duty at 
"The Naval and Military Establishment" at Penetanguishene. 
The Corporal s name was Jas. Cannon. He was a very fine, 
soldierly-looking man of easy and pleasant manners. He was 



MEMORIES OF A PIONEER 25 



married and had several children the eldest, as I remember, was 
say seven or eight years old. Mrs. Cannon, to me, seemed quite 
equal or above her order an agreeable and intelligent person. 
At the time of which I am thinking and writing, nearly the close 
of the season of 1824, she had left her home for Penetanguishene, 
to await there her accouchement, under the care of the military 
doctor and nurse. The Corporal had been alone with his children 
some weeks. They had not even a servant of any kind, but the 
Corporal himself, who seemed very comfortable and cheerful with 
his children, saying Mrs. Cannon is better where she is than she 
could be here, and the time will pass along, only a few weeks 
until she is home again. It was thought and said that the 
Corporal s position was a good one for money making. He was 
allowed to keep a sort of canteen to sell liquor at that time 
thought to be an indispensable article of every man s use to keep 
and sell provisions and other goods. And as he was a steady 
man, with a good and tidy wife, and paid good attention to his 
business, it was sometimes said that during the more than two 
years he had occupied the place he had saved and laid up some 
where quite an amount of money. It was now late in the season, 
the latter end of September or the earlier days of October. The 
brightness of summer had gone ; the clouds and rains of autumn 
were with us. Only some tardy trader now used the road ; 
business was slack ; Walker was away on some business, and 
Ben had left. It was Sunday morning and raining. I was alone 
and had been all night. Even the Indians had sought their fishing 
and hunting grounds. Just after eating my morning meal, I was 
surprised by the coming of a visitor, a young man, whose father 
and family lived only a short distance away, at Kempenfeldt. We 
shall call him Lawrence, for that was the name his family had 
given him. He had with him his shot gun and began his talk to 
me by saying, " I am going over to visit the Corporal. Mrs. 
Cannon is away and is not expected back for some time. He and 
the children are very lonely and I am going to keep them company 
for a few days as long as it seems he cares for my company. If 
it does not stop raining I will stay with you to-day and go over 
to-morrow." I must say just here that Lawrence was always 
thought to be good at helping people to wile away time 
when there was nothing much to do, especially if he had 
his fiddle. Very few excelled him in the use of that instrument. 
But he did not bring it. I told him he should have done so, to 
amuse the children. He merely laughed a short laugh. The 
rain ceased after noon and he left me, to go over. It was not 
quite noon on Monday when he was back, a very woeful look on 
his face, and a sad story to tell. When he had reached the stony 



26 MEMORIES OF A PIONEER 



hill, a little short of a mile of the Corporal s dwelling-, he 
heard two shots, one quite near, the other much farther away. 
He heard no more and, never thinking of the Corporal, walked 
on, reached the house and found the children alone. Their father, 
they said, had taken his gun and gone out to shoot partridges and 
had not come back. "Very soon," said he, "I felt uneasy, 
and, picking up my gun, I turned back to where I heard the 
shot-firing, and listening all the way as I went. I remained there 
some time, firing shot after shot. Then came to the house and 
tried to cheer the children, and seeing them in their beds began 
firing again and kept it up till after midnight, and never heard 
an answering shot, and this morning again I fired several. I 
came away to give warning and see what can be done to find the 
man and care for the children." That was Lawrence s story. 
Word of the loss was sent to Penetanguishene. A search party 
was organised and sent out ; many of the people settled within some 
eight or ten miles joined it. Many of the others, quite conscious 
how useless they would be in such a search, did not come near it. 
There was very much bustle, much going backward and forward 
by parties of men for a few days. The Corporal s stock of 
provisions and whiskey disappeared very fast. The searchers (?) 
were lying about beastly drunk at both ends of the road. A few 
days only were spent in the search, when the good Corporal was 
given up for lost. The family was removed to Penetanguishene 
by the military authorities there. Another non-commissioned 
officer, named Stratton, was sent to fill his place. It never came 
to me that any vestige of the Corporal was ever met with ; if 
there has been, I have not known of them. Several singular and 
not very kind surmises were whispered to account for the 
disappearance. It was even suggested that Lawrence had an eye 
to the Corporal s money. Well, if he had, he never got it. That 
is most certain. It was a cruel suggestion, to say the least of it. 
Some surmised that he was never lost, but that he deserted, 
taking his money with him, and having made his arrangements 
with his wife, that she and her family would follow him. No one 
has ever confessed to have helped him, and desertion at that 
period and from that place without help would have been an 
impossibility. True, a sergeant with his guard of nine men 
deserted from Mackinaw to Penetanguishene in an open boat a 
little after that time. But they had an Indian guide, and this 
Indian ever afterwards boasted of his exploit. I never thought 
that the search was anything more with those who led it than a 
sham, a humbug. Knowing these parties years afterwards, when 
I had acquired some knowledge of wood-lore, I do not think they 
ever penetrated the woods two hundred yards from trodden paths. 



MEMORIES OP A PIONEER 27 



They were not to be blamed, only for pretending to have searched, 
for they could not do it without incurring risk of losing themselves. 
There was a mystery about the disappearance of the Corporal, 
which I have never been able to solve. 



28 MEMORIES OF A PIONEER 



VI. 

It was in my plan to finish my memories of the Nottawasaga 
and its once famous portage with the story of the Corporal and 
his sudden and unaccountable disappearance. Certain other things 
have, however, stirred up thoughts which I am disposed to give 
just here. I will, then, if spared, resume the narrative of 
memories according to the original plan. First let me say to Mr. 
Soules, and to any other contributors to the history columns of 
the Barrie EXAMINER, that I have no rivalry or controversy with 
them, or either of them. A motive to make untrue or incorrect 
statements is very difficult to conceive of, as being with either of 
us. It would be difficult for us to describe things with which any 
two of us are personally familiar in the same terms or to give 
prominence to the same points. There would naturally be a 
difference in matters which come to us from others, unless we 
compared notes. Our descriptions of the same things must, of 
necessity, be different. I must just here venture to say that your 
intelligent correspondent, Panoptes, has given us the real history 
of the armed American schooners, their doings and capture. The 
account he quotes from reads like a bit of sober history, and very 
unlike an old sailor s yarn which has been told very often and lost 
something and gained something in every telling. That these 
vessels, or some others like them, did come to the Nottawasaga 
and leave their mark, I have personally some good evidence. 
In 1833 I was one of Mr. Hawkins s, a Government surveyor s, 
party in running the Sunnidale Road through from the river to Lake 
Huron. About the time of starting at this work, a person who 
was familiar with the whole country from an early day said to 
me : " You will see the gap the Yankee war-vessels made in the 
grove of pines when they cannonaded the military post at the 
mouth of the river. If you could have a boat or canoe and go out 
into the bay about a quarter of a mile or more the gap, with trees 
cut off in the middle, will be seen very plainly. It can be seen 
from a long way out in the bay." Well, we were curious to see it 
and found it easily noticeable. It was not hard to find the charred 
ruins of the old blockhouse and the other buildings near it, and 
from that spot looking out into the bay the gap in the grove was 



MEMORIES OF A PIONEER 29 



then plainly seen. That was about twenty years after the trans 
action. I crossed the bay in a steamer from Midland to Meaford 
in 1883 and I looked out for it with the ship s glass, but could not 
make it out. I supposed that even that strip of land had been 
denuded of its pines by the greedy lumbermen. 

There was another story of gallant fighting in that country and 
about that time, which was quite rife among the old hands in my 
boyhood days, back in the " Twenties," which I have been waiting 
and watching for someone to revive, but it does not seem to come. 
Alas ! the old men are gone long since, and the boys of that 
early day have followed them, white-headed and worn. They, 
too, are mostly with the majority only a few left, soon to follow. 
Well, the story. To me it never looked like a myth, and as no 
one else has given it I will put it on record as it came to me from 
the old men of the old days. I have seen no writing in which it 
has been mentioned. My authority may be called tradition old 
sailor yarns, if you like. It appears that when the small force 
occupying the blockhouse heard the thunder of the guns out in the 
bay, and saw the pine trees toppling over from the iron balls 
crashing through their branches and whizzing over their heads, 
like wise men, having insufficient means of defence, they made a 
hasty retreat up the river ; and, being at the same time well- 
trained, judicious soldiers, they provided for their rear by putting 
on a strong guard, composed, it was said, of from fifteen to 
twenty soldiers of the "Glengarry Fencibles," some boatmen and 
camp-followers and some Indian allies, who did the scouting. 
These had orders to keep at a safe distance in advance of the 
pursuers, should the enemy land and pursue them, to put every 
possible obstacle in the way of the pursuit. The enemy did land 
and having manned several boats sent them up the river as quickly 
as they could. The rearguard were ahead of them, through the 
rapids, up through the lake (afterwards called Jack s Lake not 
Jacques Lake, as the EXAMINER has it. It got its name long- 
after that time from an old Indian who called himself John Jack ; 
the people called him " Old Jack"- who had a solitary home there 
through some years of the 305.) This rearguard went on until 
the river struck the hard land, at the river s most eastern trend. 
The river was narrow here. On the east side the land rose in 
quite a ridge,* abruptly from the water. On the west side it was 
swampy, but timbered with black ash, water elm, &c. ; and tr^ 
thrown from both sides would reach over the river. Here they 
could put obstructions. All that could be done before this time 
was for the Indian scouts to fire a few shots at long distaiu 

*At what i:. locally known as the "Bifcf Dump," i.e. log -slide, 1th line, I 



30 MEMORIES OP A PIONBBR 



from safe hiding places. And this they did every now and then 
all the way up, no doubt retarding- their progress. The rearguard 
pushed up the river a little farther and made their camp, then 
came back to the narrow place and felled the trees into the river, 
cleared away the undergrowth to give good range to their 
muskets, and waited for the pursuers. About dusk they came 
along and got entangled in the branches of the fallen trees. 
While they were looking round quietly to discover what was next 
to be done, the guard, who had gathered every musket of the party 
to the one spot, taking deliberate aim, gave them a deadly volley, 
and another, and another. The enemy got out of the treetops and 
" put" down the river as soon as they could, taking their dead 
and wounded with them, as they had not landed nor left their 
boats. This was the last effort to penetrate the country from the 
north. The rearguard did not retreat farther. They remained a 
little time for orders. They soon learned from Indians that the 
armed vessels had taken themselves and men away. The Notta- 
wasaga was in quiet and peace. The place on the river where the 
brush took place was known for years after as the " Glengarry 
Camp," and their repulsion of the Yankees was spoken of as the 
"Glengarry Fight." My informant, an old soldier, who lived 
many years among the old settlers south of Penetanguishene, was 
named Dukes, and claimed to have been one of this famous 
Glengarry rearguard. He estimated the pursuers in the boats 
sent back at five hundred men. That was scarcely probable from 
two small armed vessels. It was a gallant affair, and well worthy 
of British soldiers, and the more so from the fact that they had no 
orders to fight, only to obstruct the pursuers as they could, and to 
keep well in advance of them ; and besides, the officer in charge 
was no higher than a sergeant. It ended the invasion of our 
country from that direction. 



MEMORIES OF A PIONEER 31 



A LETTER. 



Editor of the Barrie Examiner: 

DEAR SIR, You make frequent references to me and 
my " Memories" in the PACKET not always pleasing to me 
because not always correct. I want to say one or two thing s to 
you in this way, which cannot be so well said in any other. First, 
when I began my series of memories in the PACKET, at the desire 
of several friends, I had no knowledge of your collections in history. 
This knowledge only came to me through your mention 
of me, quoted in the PACKET. Had I known of it, I should 
certainly have waited until you got through before giving mine to 
the public. To me, it would seem better to have written 
independently of each other without comment or correction until 
each had finished ; then to compare notes, if thought needful. 
But go on your own way now, as you like. I will not be 
influenced by your gatherings, even where I traverse the same 
ground. Secondly, about finding the " decayed body." I have 
this to say, that I was never far from that vicinity from 1824 to 
1834. From 1834 to 1841 I lived in Barrie. During 1833 and 
until the fall of 1834 I lived at the old agency place at the bridge 
over the Nottawasaga River, on the Sunnidale Road, and was 
assistant to Mr. Richey in settling that country. The settlers 
called me "Guide." No man had better opportunities of knowing 
all the events transpiring there in those years, and not many a 
better faculty of retaining the impression of those events. And I 
say that I never knew the man who saw a body taken to be the 
body of Corporal Cannon. Oh, yes ! There were such stories, and 
about soldiers buttons being brought out by Indians. And there 
were dead bodies found not just there, but not very far away ; and 
then it was well known whose bodies these were. I was as familiar 
with the Indians frequenting these parts in those times as with my 
most intimate neighbours, and have talked with and questioned 
them, but never found the Indian who knew anything about this 
body or the buttons. Somebody has got matters mixed. It is 
very hard to keep things from mixing up. Then the body you 



32 MEMORIES OF A PIONEER 

mention in your copy for June 5th, 1890. That will be news to 
the old settlers. The body found by the roadmakers in July, 1833, 
was found about six miles out and west of " Root s" and was 
fully identified. It was that of Mr. Boothby, the surveyor s 
chain-bearer and student, deserted in the woods by those who should 
have cared for him. When found, he was merely covered with a 
heap of earth and left in silence. There was no other body at 
that time or that year. That man was not out two weeks until 
the roadmakers in their work came up to him where he lay. He 
was known to be lost and NEVER LOOKED FOR. It was in the 
interest of certain managers to have that thing kept quiet. But 
how things get mixed ! Your informant has not a good faculty of 
separating chaff from wheat. You should wait until a few more 
of us old ones join the majority, then you will not be corrected ; 
and it will do for history when better is not known. I have heard 
of Sam. Thompson s book as a wonderfully correct portraiture of 
people and things of the early settlement. I have not read the 
book. If the paragraph you quote is to be taken as a fair sample 
of the whole then, I say, he wanted to make a book and drew 
very largely on his imagination. There must be some people left 
who remember Mr. and Mrs. Dudley Root. To them, as well as 
to me, the description must appear as a coarse caricature. Did 
they ever call their shanty a tavern ? Their s was the last habi 
tation on the way to the settlements and they were a kind couple, 
settled there before the road was opened by Walker and Drurys 
in the spring of 1833 (not 1825, as you have it.) Perhaps Mr. 
Thompson was writing for the English market. Yours, 

THOS. WILLIAMS. 
Orillia, March 28th, 1891. 



MEMORIES OF A PIONEER 33 



A LETTER. 



Editor of the Packet : 

SIR, I have feared that my writing- not appearing in 
your popular paper, may have given anxiety to some of your 
many readers, lest there should not be any more coming from the 
same source. Perhaps I should explain the why of the long 
silence. Once, for a short time, I was not in my usually vigorous 
health, and could not give attention to writing. It did not come 
easy to me ; I gave up trying, and you were so kind as to say you 
did "not wish my contributions to your paper to be burdensome 
to me." I have not since felt so strongly the obligation to put 
out effort, and have taken it easy when other things claimed my 
attention, such as making up my garden, attending to visitors, 
and visiting a little. I am glad and thankful that my health is 
very good, still I find that my mind cannot be spurred to effort as 
it could twenty years since. If spared I will recall my memories 
of the early times of this county, and put them on paper as fast 
as I can without much hurrying, and you and your readers 
shall have them as I put them into shape. This much I 
felt was due to you and to them after this rather long 
interval. You must have noticed the preface with which the 
EXAMINER historian introduces his readers to my Memory No. 6. 
It is not wholly to his mind, does not chime with his thoughts of 
how things should have been. If those people of Minesing could 
but dig out something a little different it would seem quite 
desirable, give a better account of the occupants of those myster 
ious graves, give a few more particulars of that Highland 
regiment it might match better with later tradition. The 
people of Minesing are without doubt well qualified to give par 
ticulars and details of matters occurring there since " the fifties," 
when their settlement was made. I do not pretend to know any 
thing of the affairs of the country taking place since the last of 
" the thirties," nor of the myths which have grown into currency 
of the earlier times since then. I come down no farther into 
modern times. To my notion there was no Highland regiment 



34 MEMORIES OF A PIONEER 



doing duty in these parts until about 1830, when a company of 
the 79th Cameron Highlanders were stationed at Penetanguishene, 
the reg-imental headquarters being at Toronto. The regiment 
preceding them was the yist, called Glasgow Highlanders ; they 
wore the plaid but not the kilt, and could not be called Highland 
soldiers.* I remember both these regiments well, and was 
intimate with members of each of them. I think it will be pretty 
hard to show by the records, and there must be records some 
where, that any one Highland regiment served in Canada during 
the war of 1812-15. The nearest thing to it was the Glengarry 
Fencibles, as they were called, and they were a corps of what was 
then called " incorporated provincial militia," formed on a com 
pany of Highland militia raised in the Glengarry settlement in 
Eastern Ontario, added to by re-enlisted men from the regular 
army and other corps until they became a regiment bearing the 
title of Glengarry Fencibles, and right good, brave service did 
they do wherever they appeared during the war, whether in 
greater or smaller numbers. I cannot see why the EXAMINER 
should be troubled about the correctness of my memories, or their 
agreement with matters coming from his own sources. I am not 
careful to have them harmonise with anybody s notions of the way 
things should be stated. I simply give them as the impression 
made on my mind of what I saw, heard, and knew, and which I 
now find retained in my memory of the long ago which is fast 
passing beyond recall. I say nothing of recent things. Persons 
coming into the country twenty or more years after the time 
of which I write cannot correct my narratives, nor do the 
newer traditions correct the older. In almost every community 
there is a noted character, often a mere supposition, but some 
times a real person, spoken of as a sort of court of final appeal in 
regard to uncommon events. I am thinking of the oldest inhabi 
tant some person must occupy that honourable position. It 
strikes me that there are not many persons standing between that 
distinction and your humble servant one or two at most, if any. 
The late Mr. Edward Luck, who resided a little north of Crown 
Hill, had claim to it in the last years of his life of the settlers north 
of Lake Simcoe, but he was called to close a good and honourable 
life a little over a year since. I remember him in 1822 as a young 
man when I was only a lad just entering upon my teens. In making 
enquiry for the old people, I have been told that an aged person 
named John Lawrence, sometimes calling himself "Doctor Law 
rence," lives a little north of Barrie, at or near the little lake. If 
so, he is the oldest inhabitant, though perhaps about my equal in 

"Highland Light Infantry. (71st Regiment.) 



MEMORIES OF A PIONEER 35 

years. The Lawrence family were so comfortably settled when 
we arrived that they could and did give very free and kind 
hospitality to the incoming settlers. They preceded us by several 
years. I know of some others who may be inclined to dispute the 
honour with me ; if they do I shall yield to their claim when 
proved. I have mentioned the above that even the EXAMINER 
may see how absurd it is to call upon later arrivals to correct my 
statements. As an illustration, I cannot see how my account of 
the Glengarry fight on the Nottawasaga River is going to chime 
with the sober details of real history found in the articles on 
" Bulger s Victory," which appeared in two numbers of your 
paper. I am not troubled about that ; but must come to the 
conclusion that what came to me was merely an extended tradition 
woven upon some real events occurring at that time, and 
" dressed up a bit" by the imagination of those who "spun the 
yarn." I only professed to give it as I got it. I was careful to 
do that. It will be seen that up to this time I have (with the 
exception of my experience on the Portage) written mostly of 
things obtained from others. If I am spared to continue these 
memoirs I must come next to things observed by myself mostly 
things and events being and occurring during "the twenties" 
and " the thirties," and then when I am through, let the EXAMINER 
or anybody else come out with a general review and criticism if 
they see fitting. To have it implied that my writings must be 
kept in tune with other writings, and other people s notions, is, to 
say the least, not just as it should be. So much, Mr. Editor, it 
seemed I should be permitted to say. Truly yours, 

THOS. WILLIAMS. 
The Cottage, 3rd June, 1891. 



36 MEMORIES OF A PIONEER 



VII. 

As near as I can now ascertain, the first real settlers those 
who took land with a view of making- homes and deriving their 
living from the land came to the country in the year 1819. Some 
may have come in 1818, but I can find no proof of such coming. 
Our family came in 1822. The land was "taken up," that is, 
ours was selected and a location ticket obtained from the Surveyor- 
General and Crown Lands Office, in the fall of 1821. When we 
did reach it and built our shanty, I can distinctly remember our 
neighbours (and the whole settlement for the first ten miles at 
least were neighbours). All knew each other and went in and out 
of each other s dwellings, and were interested in the affairs of each 
other ; and most of them spoke of coming three years before. A 
few had been a shorter time. This applies to all the settlements 
along the Penetanguishene Road. At or in the vicinity of 
Penetanguishene there were some few families which were not of 
the military or naval forces stationed there. They were of the 
class which the soldiers there would have called civilians. Some 
might have been considered a sort of camp-followers, carrying on 
some sort of business or mechanic art, and deriving their living in 
that way from such works as were carried on in connection with 
the Naval and Military Establishment. One family of these, the 
Mundys, still remain in the neighbourhood. There was another 
name the family was employed much in the same way but I 
have lost the name and am not able to recall it. But these were 
not settlers in the true sense of the term. They were business 
people. The Mundys afterwards settled in the vicinity. The 
mother of the Mundy family was a noted person. She lived to be 
more than a centenarian. She was a native of Quebec ; a French 
woman, and began her married life there. One of her sons be 
came a noted lawyer and rose to the rank and position of Chief 
Justice of that Province. He called himself "Joseph Remi de 
St. Valliere. " The name of her first family was Valliere. In the 
first years of the century she married Asher Mundy, an American, 
as her second husband, who was for many years a well-known, 
quiet and respected man in the neighbourhood of Penetanguishene. 



MEMORIES OP A PIONEBR 37 

Their only son was Israel Mundy,* who, if he still survives, is a 
very aged man. When in my boyhood, among the first of my 
teens, I remember looking up to him as an amiable and good 
young man. This family, with perhaps some others drawn there 
with the military and naval works, were settled with them, quite 
ahead of the design of a general settlement of the country. If you 
were in that country, on the Gloucester Bay, east of Penetanguishene, 
towards the eastern extremity of that water, to the place called by 
the Indians Mah-je-dushk corrupted by us to Matchedash back 
in the twenties, you would see on the shore a sort of pillar-like 
erection old chimneys. The place was called for many years 
"The Chimneys." I am not sure but it is so called now. Those 
chimneys marked what had been the dwelling place of a family 
named Cowan. The head of the family was a Scotchman, who 
had taken to himself an Indian wife, and lived in that spot many 
years and brought up a family of several sons and one daughter, 
who died early and unmarried. Mr. Cowan must have been a 
man of means and position. I judge this from the fact that his 
family were all educated and considered respectable people. Only 
one of the sons joined himself to the Indians by marriage. The 
name I think will be found now among those living on the Christian 
or Beausoliel Island. One of the Cowans was married to a 
daughter of Mrs. Mundy. A son of theirs, William Cowan, was 
one of my early associates, though some three or four years my 
senior ; and his sister was a Mrs. Dickenson. This would show 
that the Cowans were early settlers, as the time of which I write 
was not later than 1826. Mr. Dickenson was foreman in Lount s 
axe factory for several years after that time. The Cowan sons 
died or went away ; only my friend, W. Cowan, and those among 
the Indians, remained of the name in the country. When I was 
last at "The Chimneys," I think in 1826, besides the chimneys 
and old house foundations, there were some old broken, abused- 
looking apple trees and plum trees, marking the place as once a 
civilised home. It conies to my mind that a country is of little 
consequence apart from the people who occupy it and find their 
homes in it, and whose children grow up to man and womanhood 
in it. Influenced by such a thought, I find my memory recalling 
one or two other families of civilised people, who made a home 
and found business in the eastern part of the Georgian Bay, either 
at Penetanguishene, in its vicinity, or not very far distant from it, 
in the earlier years of the present century, before the fixing on the 
point of occupation as a military and naval post. A French family, 
named De La Morandiere, the members of which still live and fill 

"He died in December, 1888, 



38 MEMORIES OF A PIONEER 



respectable positions. The head of this family is said to have been 
a French noble, who betook himself as early as the time of the 
French regime to a Jife in the wilds of Canada and amongst the 
Indians. The old gentleman was gone long before my earliest 
recollection. A son of the family is carrying on business at 
Killarney, Manitoulin Island. A daughter, a Madame Rousseau, 
and her brother, Alexis, I remember meeting early in the twenties. 
She was the wife of the Mr. Rousseau after whom the Lake 
Rousseau is called, and the last I heard of her she was living a 
widow on St. Joseph Island. The younger son, Fred, de Lamor- 
andiere, lives at Cape Croker, and is secretary to the Indians 
residing there and postmaster of Cape Croker post-office. A family 
named Smith were very extensive and wealthy traders and occupied 
a post at or near Penetanguishene. Mr. Smith died shortly before 
my coming to the country, and left, it was said, large wealth to his 
two elder sons, Cyrus and Sidney Smith, who, it was said, were 
not long in getting through it. I think they both died somewhere 
in the thirties. There will be people still living on both sides of 
Lake Simcoe who will remember these men. They were for the 
time in which they lived well educated and, when themselves, very 
genteel men. The late Samuel Richardson, Esq., of Barrie, said 
to me shortly after Sidney s death, "There was a time when I 
could have taken a wager that, meet Sidney Smith out alone at 
any time, you would not find him without a book, and no common 
book either. If English, an English classic Milton, Shakespeare, 
or Addison or one of the Latin classics." But they had formed 
habits which carried them to an early grave. The late Sheriff 
Walker Smith, of Barrie, was a younger branch of the same 
family, and there were other brothers equally respectable. 



MEMORIES OF A PIONEER 39 



VIII. 

While looking over the Memories already put upon paper, it 
strikes me that I have not found the right plan of beginning. 
With the exception of what I wrote of the Portage and its associ 
ations, I seem to have been conjuring up the shadows of things 
existing before what might be called more the settlement of the 
country. It came to me that the question might arise, What of the 
country prior to the settlement ? I have given attention to this as 
far as I had knowledge not very far back, it is true, into the 
misty traditions of the past. It is now pretty generally conceded 
by our students of Canadian history that less that two cen 
turies since this part of the country was occupied by a very inter 
esting aboriginal people in pretty considerable numbers, who did 
not live altogether by the chase, but in their own way cultivated 
the soil ; of that early day, however, these Memories have no in 
telligence. The occupation of strategic points on Lake Huron by 
the naval and military authorities had certainly something to do 
with the settlement of the country lying between that lake and 
Simcoe. The settlements from the front had reached the south 
shores of the latter lake some years before the war of 1812-15, ^ ut 
pushed no farther northward. The people of these settlements 
were mostly from the States, old American settlers in origin, some 
of them United Empire Loyalists, and others whose affection for 
British institutions was perhaps unconfessed during the existence 
of war, but lingered in such a way that they were not comfortable 
in the land of the Stars and Stripes, but prompted to seek homes 
under the Union Jack. Canada owes much to this people, of 
whom I shall have something to say farther on. The settlers 
south of the lake were, many of them, employed by the military in 
work connected with the occupation of the points farther north, 
opening roads, building, teaming, and other work, but what might 
be thought strange, they were not in a single instance among the 
first ot the settlers, if we except the brothers James and David 
Soules, who located themselves early on the south side of Kempen- 
teldt Bay and near its eastern entrance. In most cases in our 
province, and perhaps in other countries, settlements are pushed 
back and back, as pieces of good land and desirable locations are 



40 MEMORIES OF A PIONEER 



discovered ; continuously farther, and yet farther, into the wilder 
ness until some barrier is reached. In this case the lake became 
to these people an impassable barrier, seeming to forbid these 
people s farther progress. In 1822, when our family came, and we 
lingered awhile with these people, we encountered strong preju 
dices against, and almost frightful descriptions of, the country to 
which we were proceeding. " Why should you go to that coun 
try ?" said a good man, among others. " You can certainly have 
no conception of its character." "The snow does not all go 
away there until in July." " They have six or seven months of 
dead winter, and then four months of cold weather." " You will 
not be able to live there." If we were now called upon to give a 
description of the countries bordering on Hudson Bay, it was 
such a description that we listened to of the country in which we 
were seeking to make a home. Such were some of the discour 
agements the hardy pioneers of that early day were called upon to 
face in addition to the real hardships, which were indeed not few 
in number. I can think of only one thing which may have led to 
the forming of these prejudices, for they seemed to be real and 
felt. The work they did for the military was mostly, if not 
always, in the winter, and midwinter at that, for the lake seldom 
freezes over so as to make safe teaming until the New Year, and 
a tradition came to me chat the winters of the years of that war 
time were exceptionally severe, the snow falling to an unusual 
depth and remaining long in the spring. One result of the notions 
they imbibed was that the country was not desired by them as a 
place for settlement. The people who did come were all from a dis 
tance from different parts of the old countries, and from wan 
derings in other countries. 

At first the government put before the world what seemed to 
them pretty strong inducements to settlers each family was to 
have a two-hundred-acre lot as a homestead ; each son of the 
family having reached man s estate a half lot, or one hundred 
acres. This policy prevailed for two or three years at most ; the 
first families coming availed themselves of it ; that would have 
been during the years 1818 and 19, perhaps into 20. In 1821, 
when my father and others made application for land, the policy 
had become straitened and narrowed ; one hundred acres was 
the limit, and no recognition of the sons of the family, and what 
seemed very great difficulties were put in the way of intending 
settlers in getting the lands, whether by grants as British subjects 
seeking to locate themselves as settlers in a British province, or 
as purchasers. The land was nominally valued at one dollar per 
acre, to be paid for in four succeeding annual instalments, or cash 
at the time of purchase without discount, the patent to issue in 



MEMORIES OF A PIONEER 41 



two years on proof of settlement duties being" performed. In my 
boyhood I have listened to many sad tales by the old settlers of 
their difficulties in getting their land, the weariness and humilia 
tion of their attendance upon the officers connected with the loca 
tion of homes in the unclaimed domain of the province. First, 
there was to be a petition to Governor-in-Council, presenting- the 
applicant s claim, his antecedents, his present purposes, etc., etc. 
This would go before the Executive Council, which was presided 
over by the Governor, and its members were the magnates of the 
land clerical, military, and civil and it was supposed to meet 
once a week. This it might do or it might not, as the whim or 
convenience of some of its leading- members would determine. 
The petitioner must then wait, spend time and money, or g-o away 
and come again ; this is if his means, patience, and loyalty did 
not wear away in the meantime. If the prayer of the petition was 
granted, a document was given which he must carry to the office 
of the Honourable Commissioner of Crown Lands, from thence 
one to the Surveyor-General s office, until location ticket was ob 
tained. I may say here that there arose men who acted with and 
for the intending- settler as ag-ents, or " g-o-betweens," among" 
whom was the late Andrew Mercer, whose accumulated wealth 
was such a God-send to our Ontario government a few years since. 
With the aid of such men, and some by securing- the interference 
of men of position, succeeded, after much effort, in their quest. 
How many failed and g-ave up it would be hard to say. Some I 
know did so and left in disgust, and we lost sight of them alto 
gether. It is quite likely many went to aid in the population of 
the great country to the south of us. Their loyalty to British in 
stitutions was not sufficiently sturdy to pass unhurt through so 
severe an ordeal. It was in these years, and while this policy 
prevailed, and before the days of assisted emigration had come, 
while every intending settler was prompted by his own spirit of 
enterprise, that the newspaper called the COLONIAL ADVOCATE, 
published and edited by the famous William Lyon Mackenzie, 
made its appearance. It was early in the thirties ; I can remem 
ber well the excitement it stirred up among its settler and farmer 
readers. The means it used was a reiteration and rehash of these 
old grievances. Every man and every family carried bitter mem 
ories of unsympathising and harsh treatment. These old sores 
were easily rubbed into painfulness. Furnishing-, as they did, 
irritating matter for Mackenzie s paper, they had much to do in 
bringing about the rebellion of the latter years of the thirties. It 
was well for the country that a more liberal land policy had met 
the larger emigration which began with the first of the thirties, 
for that filled the country with a people who had never felt the 



42 MBMORIES OF A PIONEER 

troubles of the earlier pioneers, and could not be made uncomfort 
able by unpleasant remembrances of them. In my next paper I 
will give my impressions of the cause which led to the narrow and 
hard land policy complained of in this paper. 



MEMORIES OF A PIONEER 43 



IX. 

In my last I promised that in this I would consider the 
question why those to whom were committed the management of 
the country put such difficulties in the way of intending settlers 
coming at their land. Along with this is to be considered also the 
fact that the immigrants of that period were a superior class- 
people who were inspired by an ambition to become the owners of 
land in order that themselves and children should reach a more 
independent condition. They were possessed of more or less 
means, had experience in business of some kind, or in farming ; 
quite a large proportion of them had put in a few years in the 
States, and not finding things there quite to their mind, had come 
to seek a home under the Old Flag. They asked nothing from 
the government but the land, and sometimes, not often, a little 
aid in opening up a path to it. The people were of a class gen 
erally who might be expected to make good and enterprising 
settlers. Assisted migrations had not begun to send people to 
our country, if we except two instances first, the somewhat tur 
bulent Paisley weavers, who were brought out and settled in 
several townships of the county of Lanark in the years 1819 and 
1821 ; and second, the Irish settlers who came out a few years 
later under the care of the late Honourable Peter Robinson, and 
were placed in some townships back of Peterborough. But both 
of these cases had their origin and support from the Home Gov 
ernment not from the Provincial and are really no exception to 
the policy prevailing in the province. They were told to accept 
these people and provide for them, and the) must needs obey. I 
will now call attention to some facts which will throw light upon 
the narrow land policy complained of. First, French Canada had 
been settled by Seigniors, to whom alone the land was allotted in 
large tracts of several thousand acres, who brought with them 
from France their dependants, an illiterate peasant class. This 
was the form of society in France at thac time, nursed into that 
form for centuries by a despotic government, the nobles, who 
were very numerous, and a powerful Church. It was quite 
natural, as they knew no other form of society, that they should 
seek to make a new France in the new world. To these peasants, 



44 MEMORIES OF A PIONEER 



or habitants, they assigned homesteads, at a small price, but 
bound the habitant to themselves and to the estate by placing 
restrictions on his disposition of the land, holding 1 him to certain 
service, requiring small periodical payments either in the fruit of 
the soil or in money, as rent. The land was also burdened with 
tithes for the maintenance of the clergy, and was subject to im 
posts for the construction of ecclesiastical buildings. This was 
the form of society prevailing in Eastern Canada when Western 
Canada began to be settled. This was the form which was nursed 
in all European countries from feudal times, down to the times of 
great wars of Europe, which were either brought about by the 
system, the jealousies of despotic rulers of each other, or by 
Providence to uproot this system of semi-slavery. The Protest 
antism springing up in Europe three centuries since was no doubt 
a potent factor in its destruction, and yet there have been, and 
may still be, persons who are not French or Romanist, who sigh 
for such a form of society as being nearer paradise than anything 
else found in this world, and would gladly see it prevail. It has 
been suspected that those who influenced the narrow land policy 
of which we complain, would have produced it in Western Canada, 
could they have got the power from Britain and the material to 
work with. In the earlier thirties the writer had access to ihe 
government maps of all the townships in the county of Simcoe, 
and to some other maps of townships in other parts of the pro 
vince. These maps, I might say, were disfigured with peculiar 
marks, which indicated the allotment of land in them to certain 
purposes and persons indeed a very large proportion of the land 
was shut away altogether from the use of actual settlers. There 
was first the Crown reserves one-seventh of all the lands ; these 
had a mark on them like a blur made with the end of a finger 
dipped in pale red ink. These were sold or granted about that 
time to the Canada Company, and were open for settlement by 
purchase. Then there was another seventh of the land, with a 
dusky blur on them, made as if with a finger-tip dipped in com 
mon black ink. These were the clergy reserves, and at that time 
might be leased, but not bought. Besides the above, there were 
in all the townships lots with the letter D written upon them, some 
in single two-hundred-acre lots, and sometimes in blocks of several 
hundred or a thousand acres. These, we were told, belonged to 
certain great estates of favoured persons in different parts of the 
country and deeded to them ; and they were always the best lands, 
but they were " ta-boo" to the settler. There was not generally 
in that day enough land accessible to the actual settlers to make 
closely inhabited neighbourhoods. This tended to increase the 
hardships they had to meet, while their labours were every year 



MEMORIES OF A PIONEER 45 



adding value to these lands. It was suspected that these large 
grants of the best lands (for in no case were they purchased from 
the Crown) were given to favourites, that by-and-by, when the 
other lands were settled on, the owners of the estates might find 
themselves occupying an elevated position, and that the foundation 
of a social order might be laid differing from what had been plant 
ed by the United Empire Loyalists, their descendants, and other 
people, in the earlier settlements of the Upper Province. Society 
in these had taken a decidedly democratic shape wherever formed. 
In the extreme west, now the counties of Essex and Kent, the 
shores of Lake Erie, the Niagara frontier, along the shores of 
Lake Ontario, the Bay of Quinte country, along the St. Lawrence 
River and some distance up the Ottawa, settlements had been 
formed in considerable strength, and were giving character to the 
country. The large estates spoken of paid no taxes, contributed 
nothing to the progress of the country, but greatly retarded it in 
all instances. It was a great step in advance when our legisla 
tures gave our townships and counties municipal powers enabling 
them to tax all lands for public improvement. This brought these 
lands into the market, and put settlers on them, and contributed 
very much to a change for the better over all the province. After 
the more liberal land policy which came in with the larger immi 
gration in the early thirties had got well into operation, some 
things occurred which, now looking back upon, impress me to 
confirm the suspicion that the form which society was taking 
throughout the country did not give unalloyed satisfaction to those 
who filled high places in our provincial government. That the 
idea of giving to Canadian society an aristocratic form was given 
up with great reluctance if it was even then wholly given up. 
Certain things were constantly operating against it. First, in 
structions coming from the Home Government to receive the in 
coming settlers with all needed encouragement. There is proof 
that such admonitions were received by the provincial authorities. 
And secondly, the settlements already planted had taken an alto 
gether different form, and it would seem that no power could pre 
vent them becoming models for all the future unless they should 
be wholly plucked up and planted over again, which nothing but 
a sweeping war could accomplish. But the form society did take 
whether the best or otherwise, I do not now stop to say we 
owe to the United Empire Loyalists and the people who came in 
with and after them for several years from the now-republicanised 
old colonies, who acted from inborn preference to what was British 
and monarchical. 



46 MEMORIES OF A PIONEER 



X. 

I will now mention some things which would seem to justify my 
suspicion that in the high places of our province there existed a 
strong desire to give society a form very different from that which 
it was evidently taking, and that this idea was only given up 
when it was seen to be utterly impracticable ; and the desire so to 
shape society was the chief cause of the troubles met by the 
ordinary settler in his endeavour to locate himself upon lands, 
unless that settler was a man of wealth and position, or a 
dependent on such men. Men of means or position were always 
received with open arms ; the entire Crown domain was readily 
opened for their inspection and choice. In the first of the thirties, 
as has already been mentioned, emigrants in considerable numbers 
began leaving the old countries and seeking our shores. I cannot 
now say who were the principal agents in promoting this increased 
emigration, nor can I venture to specify with exactness the causes 
which led to it. Different things may have contributed to produce 
it. There prevailed in the old countries at that time quite a spirit 
of discontent among the labouring classes generally ; what was 
called the Chartist agitations were rife at the time, and the idea 
of emigration to new countries presented itself as a remedy for 
the prevailing evils. At that time, or a little before, the Canada 
Company was formed in England, to whom the government sold a 
large tract of the finest forest land in North America of nearly two 
millions of acres ; what was then called the Huron Tract, together 
with all of what was called the Crown Reserves one-seventh of the 
land in all the older surveyed townships throughout the entire 
province, and it was said for a very small consideration in money. 
This corporation must needs sell their lands, and encourage the 
emigration of actual settlers. I can well remember that the 
emigrants of that time were mostly well furnished with the litera 
ture and maps of the country put into circulation, by the Canada 
Company. I desire that my readers may remember that this 
company had a British and not a Canadian origin, and that the 
impulse it may have given with other agencies to the settlement 
of the country, had its inspiration from the old country rather 
than from the authorities of the province. Their action was 



MEMORIES OF A PIONEER 47 

simply a yielding 1 to necessity. Part of their action to this end 
was to place agents in several parts of the province where any 
considerable quantities of unlocated lands remained. These 
agents opened offices, where the settlers could obtain information 
and other aid to find and choose their location. The first agent 
north of Lake Simcoe was the late Colonel E. G. O Brien, of 
Shanty Bay, for the townships of Oro and South Orillia. This 
was in the year 1831, when many of the older families of Oro went 
upon their lands. Mr. O Brien did not long retain the agency, 
and was succeeded by Wellesley Richey, who had experience in 
such work, having been an Aide de-Camp to the Honourable Peter 
Robinson, in placing settlers in townships northward of Peterboro . 
Mr. Richey s office was located on the lake shore near the now 
village of Hawkestone during 1831 until the spring of 1832, when 
he was instructed to remove to a position more convenient to the 
vacant lands north and east. He located his office at the east 
end of Bass Lake, near the Coldwater road. It was in connection 
with this removal that the writer became connected with the 
agency as one of the aides to the principal. By the settlers he 
was called a "guide." This agency embraced all the vacant 
lands in the northern part of Oro, all of Medonte, and the two 
Orillias. In the spring of 1833 we were again instructed to 
remove ; this time to the Nottawasaga River, to where the 
boundary line between the townships of Vespra and Essa crosses 
the river. The government had early that spring caused a block 
of land still in their hands, at the head of Kempenfeldt Bay, to be 
laid out by their surveyor, William Hawkins, as the town of 
Barrie, and the same surveyor to lay out a line of road from this 
plot to the river, a distance of eleven miles, and there to lay out 
another town plot, which never became a town or scarcely a 
hamlet, and from thence to survey a road through the township of 
Sunnidale to Lake Huron. It was at the Nottawasaga River that 
our agency was to be located as soon as we could get there and 
suitable buildings could be erected. In the meantime the opening 
and making of a rough waggon road between the Barrie townplot 
and the river was contracted for by Alexander Walker and the 
Drury brothers, uncle and father of the Honourable C. Drury, of 
Crown Hill, and a large body of men put to work upon it. This 
agency had to deal with the still vacant lands of the old surveyed 
townships of Vespra,! Essa, and Tossorontio, and the newly- 
surveyed townships of Sunnidale and Nottawasaga. These latter 
townships were not encumbered with deeded lands or reserves of 
any kind. All the land in them was open for location and purchase 
by anyone who met the conditions of grant or of sale. 

I have written the foregoing in relation to the large emigration 



48 MEMORIES OF A PIONEER 



to the country and the way it was met by our authorities, not 
because it comes in here as its proper place in these memories, for 
I have yet to give some details of events remembered of an earlier 
settlement, that of the Penetanguishene road, made in the last 
years of the second and the first of the third decade of our century. 
In that connection we shall find that many interesting things 
occurred quite worthy of our memory and record. I have written 
what has just passed under my pen in this place, as it gives me 
here some incidents which serve to strengthen my conviction that 
in meeting the immigrants now coming in with a more liberal land 
policy, our authorities acted more from compulsion of some sort 
than from choice, as the most desirable thing to do. Two things 
which serve to press this conviction on me will now be given ; 
afterwards, if spared, I hope to pass back over the events and 
incidents of the earlier settlements. I might say the people who 
came to this country at that time could be considered as of three 
different classes. 

First, those who would call themselves gentry. They were 
composed in great part of old officers (not old men) of the army and 
navy, the naval officers all having their half-pay; the army officers 
in most cases had commuted their half-pay for ready money. 
That was their misfortune, for the money soon slipped away from 
them. Those who retained their half-pay were in much the best 
condition. There was also with them quite a mixture of what 
might be called private gentry, some professional and some 
mercantile. There was not much trouble with these latter, they 
slipped into places in the towns and villages. We had no cities 
at that time. The army and navy men and their families were of 
good material, quite respectable generally, and would have been 
desirable settlers if they had brought with them a better knowledge 
of economy in living, and a determination to knuckle down to their 
changed condition. These people were, all of them, in some way 
enjoined to call upon the Governor, and to them he dispensed 
large hospitality. Every mark of consideration and kindness was 
shown them by him. Their talk was full of it when they came to 
the agency, and none of them came to the agent without strong 
letters commending them to our utmost attention and care, and 
we always gave it to them. The agent not only fed them, but if 
he judged their tastes led that way, they were wined and brandied 
to their heart s content, and every aid given them to select their 
lands, a thing which they knew nothing of themselves. 

The next class of settlers were mostly thrifty but poorer people, 
paying their own way and having more or less means. Very 
many of these had been in the army, some few in the navy, and a 
very large proportion of them had sold out their pensions ; the 



MEMORIES OF A PIONEER 49 



smallest number retained them, greatly to their comfort. There 
were with these some who had been small farmers, farm labourers, 
and some mechanics. These paid their own way, and as to the 
others they had more or less means to beg-in with. That which I 
wanted to say just here was that this last class met no hospitality 
at headquarters besides what they paid for themselves, nor did 
they seek any^ They brought no letters of introduction, and had 
given to them simply the aid needed to find their land and settle 
on it, which they did, and if they are not here to-day, after more 
than fifty years, their descendants are. The children of the first 
class mentioned are not so numerous, yet we have some of them 
with us, and filling good places, quite satisfied with society and 
racy of the soil. Of the second class mentioned I must give an 
anecdote illustrative of their progress, and leave the third class of 
settlers to be treated of in connection with the five acre allotments 
alluded to in the BARRIE EXAMINER as topic of my next paper. 
Some thirteen years since I met a gentleman on one of the Lake 
Huron steamers who was introduced to me as the Honourable 
John Northwood, of Chatham, Ontario, one of the Senators of our 
Dominion. I remarked to him, " I have a memory for names, 
Mr. Northwood, and I never met your name but once in my life, 
and I will tell you the circumstances. I held a position as assist 
ant to a government agent, settling emigrants on lands in 1832 
north of Lake Simcoe. There came to us, among many others, a 
person of your name Northwood, a very fine-looking, middle-aged 
man, I think from the West of Ireland. He had been a sergeant 
in the army, was a pensioner then, and was entitled to draw two 
hundred acres of land. I was quite taken with the man, and 
thought him a very desirable settler, and after taking him to our 
best vacant land and asking him to choose so I could enter his 
name, he shook his head in great discouragement and said : 
The trees, the trees ; I never saw the likes of them. Oh, the 
trees, the trees, if they had been stones f would know what to do 
with them. " " That was my father," said the Mr. Northwood, 
his son, then said to be a millionaire and an Honourable Senator. 



50 MEMORIES OF A PIONEER 



A MEMORY OF i8 3 a. 

Certain events recently occurring have put my memory into a 
condition of action, and as you and your readers seem to take it 
that what I recall is of sufficient worth to have a place in your 
columns, it has come to me that I should now pen these that are 
coming up, though not in the order I intended to follow. But I 
may get back to that. In the summer of 1832, while I was 
connected with the Government agency for settling this county, 
the headquarters of which was on the Coldwater road, at the east 
end of Bass Lake, it was my wont often to attend the Sunday 
morning religious services held in connection wich the Indian 
Mission, then occupying the site of our town. These, with the 
schools, were conducted in a frame schoolhouse, standing near the 
corner of what is now Peter and Coldwater streets, on what is now 
the grounds of the Anglican church. When my duties permitted, 
and the weather was favourable, Sunday morning found me taking 
this, to me, pleasant three-mile walk. First, at half-past nine 
A.M., came the Sunday-school. This was conducted by the two 
mission teachers, Mr. P. H. Swartz and Miss Brinke, and the 
pastor, the late Rev. Gilbert Miller, who only deceased a few years 
since at Picton. (Here, too, I met with some young men just 
entering upon their ministry, some of them going on a little farther, 
and some of them staying for a time to aid Mr. Miller, whose 
health was not strong at the time. Among these young men 
beginning their life work was the late Dr. Samuel Rose, the Revs. 
John Baxter and Edwy M. Ryerson and James Currie. These all 
have, some years since, gone to meet their reward. They were all 
worthy men ; and though I have associated with them in common 
work and ministry since, I find pleasure now in remembering that 
I met them here in that early day.) At a little before eleven 
o clock the Sunday-school would be dismissed. Mr. Swartz, or 
the interpreter, Benjamin Crane, or some strong lunged Indian 
would take a long tin horn and produce from it trumpet-like 
sounds, which would seem to echo in all directions. Then look ! 
There would be a stir at the door of every Indian house as the 
people (Indians) began to move towards the central schoolhouse to 
take part in the holy worship. There were at the same time some 



MEMORIES OF A PIONEER 51 

families of white people living on the reserve (as it was then called), 
besides the members of the Mission. The Government had an 
agent, who acted for the Indians in business matters, and as 
instructor, who was supposed to give instruction and aid to them 
in their efforts to reach a civilized condition. And sometimes there 
was a doctor. These all, I think, had their support and pay from 
the Indian annuity funds, but they were considered as Government 
officers. Besides these there were persons engaged in trade, and 
others in the business of forwarding goods and emigrants, and 
teaming goods over the Coldwater road portage, and the emigrants 
coming and going made a small community of white people. I do 
not at this day remember meeting representatives of these families 
uniting with the mission people and the Indians in their worship on 
the Sabbath. True, these services were designed and maintained 
mostly for the Indians, and the greater part of them was in their 
language ; still, the reading of Scripture and the preaching was 
first in English, then interpreted. Some of the prayers were in 
English. Persons of a religious spirit might find some good and 
helpful influence in them, though in the absence of that they would 
seem tedious and uninteresting. Once I remember that say a 
score or more of these people were gathered at a Sunday afternoon 
service, designed especially for them, when the Rev. John Baxter 
officiated and preached. I think I may venture to say that the 
prevailing disposition was not religious, and not in sympathy with 
missions and Indians. A strong and undisguised feeling among 
them was a desire to have the Indians "out of that." If those 
who represented religion were other than Methodists I am not very 
sure it would have been better or different, but the others had not 
yet come, and not until some time later on. It was to enter upon 
mission work in this field, and with these influences round her, 
that the late Mrs. Moffatt, then Miss Manwaring, fifty-nine years 
ago in her tedious canoe voyage, came hereto work for the world s 
good. The season of 1832 had nearly ended, the first or second 
Sunday in November had come, and I was on the road taking my 
Sunday morning walk of three miles to attend the mission services. 
I got in early and found my friend, Mr. Swartz,, alone in the 
schoolhouse. It was yet twenty minutes before the Sunday-school 
would begin. I was glad of this, for I could spend that time in 
pleasant conversation with the teacher, for we had become 
attached to each other. He began by saying, " I cannot tell you 
how glad I am that you have come this morning, for I am to leave 
here this week. Miss Brinke (the lady teacher) has already left. 
The teachers are both to leave and others to come. A Miss 
Manwaring succeeds Miss Brinke. She has not yet come, but is 
on the way and is expected soon. My successor is already here. 



52 MEMORIES OF A PIONEER 



He is a Mr. Hannibal Mulkins. He desired me to keep charge of 
the school to-day. He will assume his duties in the school 
to-morrow. I am looking" for him to be here any moment, and 
shall be glad to make you acquainted, and hope your associations 
may be as pleasant as ours have been." At that moment the door 
opened. Mr. Mulkins came in and we were introduced. If I had 
been gifted with that prophetic foresight which would have given 
me an inkling of the prominent figure he was to become in after 
years, and the conspicuous position he was to reach, I should 
without doubt have studied him more closely. As it was he did 
not prepossess me favourably. I was not drawn to him. He was 
youthful in appearance. I should take it that he had not then reach 
ed twenty years. There was something in his " make up " which 
gave me the impression that he had come through some hard times. 
We did not form an intimacy. I went away with the agency to 
settle other places, and I think his stay at the mission was not a 
long one. I have heard that he very soon gave token of possessing 
more than common ability in the direction of preaching, and was 
taken to where he could improve in this by study and exercise. 
Four years afterwards, in 1836, I met him and heard him preach. 
His improvement was very marked. He was a fine-looking young 
man, a preacher of great pulpit power and pleasing manner. In 
1840 he withdrew from the Methodist church and received orders 
in the Anglican church at the hands of the late Bishop Strachan. 
I have no call to follow his history further. T. W. 



MEMORIES OF A PIONEER 53 



ANOTHER MEMORY OF 1832. 

It was fully a month, or more, before the time spoken of in 
the " Memory " you gave your readers more than a week since, 
when the Agency at Bass Lake was visited by a very interesting 
company, looking at the country with a view to settlement. 
Whether we look at the men as they were at the time, or what 
they became to the country in after years, some of them at least, 
we were certainly not visited by a more important party in the 
whole season. When I mention the names, and a little of what I 
remember of each, this will be readily acknowledged. They were 
emigrants from Ireland, from the city of Dublin. They were 
what we might well venture to call Irish gentlemen, and as it has 
been sometimes said that Irish gentlemen were the best of their 
class in culture and manners, the demeanour of these persons would 
go far to confirm that impression in those who met them. They 
were five in number. First, two clergymen, who had been 
ministers of the English Church in Ireland. The elder of the two 
was the Rev. Chas. Crosby Brough. If he had not reached middle 
age then he was certainly getting up towards it. He was tall and 
a well formed person, and would attract attention for a good 
appearance in any company. I think he professed to be retiring 
from the active work of his profession on account of throat ailment. 
He selected land in the tenth concession of Oro, near what is now 
called Jarratt s Corners, got his shanty put up there, made a pretty 
good clearing, then removed to a part of the Township farther 
south. I could not say how many years he remained in these 
parts. I do not think very long. The Bishop of Toronto called 
him again into professional life and work. Though earnestly 
engaged in business, while living in this vicinity, farming and 
milling, and took no mission, he was ready to do the work of a 
gospel minister to some considerable distance from his home, as 
people would call for his services. He was a plain, practical, and 
powerful preacher. At one of these rural services he felt it his 
duty to caution the people not to go after the Methodists, who 
were the only religious organization actively at work here. At 
the close of this service an old gentleman, stepping up to the 
preacher, said to him, " I thank you, sir, for coming to us in our 



54 MEMORIES OF A PIONEER 

destitution, and for your excellent discourse. I fear you will not 
consider it complimentary, but I must say had I not known 
otherwise, I should take you for a Methodist from your style, 
matter, and manner." He seemed a little taken aback at the old 
man s remarks, but shaking- his hand cordially, expressed his 
pleasure. He was certainly useful in the country, giving baptism 
to such children as people would bring- to him, and marrying- the 
young people of all creeds, who desired to enter that relation. He 
was first given a mission on Manitoulin Island. A few years 
afterwards we find him doing extensive mission work in the 
vicinity of London. A very well known and much respected 
clergyman for many years was Archdeacon Brough. The other 
and younger man was the Rev. Dominick Blake, uncle to our 
noted men of that name. I might say here that Mr. Brough stood 
in the same relation to them, for Mrs. Brough was a Blake. The 
Rev. Mr. Blake did not choose to settle in these parts. We find 
him with others of the party settled in the Township of Adelaide, 
west of London. A few years after he received the appointment 
of Rector of Thornhill, on Yonge-street, and there passed his life. 
The next to be named was Mr. Hume Blake. To me he seemed 
the most youthful of the party, though I believe then a family man. 
A very fine looking person might be called handsome in figure 
and delicate in complexion. I have been told that in Ireland he 
followed the profession of a surgeon. In this country he took up 
the profession of law, and is soon heard of as one of the leading 
lawyers of Toronto, and was the first appointed Chancellor when 
our Chancery court was instituted. 

The next to name of the party called himself by his signature 
Skeffingto:i Connor. His profession in the old country was that 
of law. It was said to me that he had been a Counsellor, and that 
he was allied to the other members of the party by marriage. He 
did settle in these parts, choosing his location in North Oriilia, 
where is now the village of Marchmont. He had the misfortune, 
after some little time, to have his dwelling burned. Then he left 
these parts, apparently discouraged, and did not return. It was 
not, however, many years until we find him a noted lawyer in 
Toronto, and mixing very much in public affairs. In the meantime 
he had obtained the degree of LL. D., and was spoken of as Doctor 
Connor. I cannot give from memory all the offices and honours 
to which he attained, as I have no record to which to refer. Some 
of your readers could do this more correctly than I am able to do. 
I simply know that when last I heard him spoken of he was the 
Honourable Justice Connor. 

The last to be named in this party was to me the most 
interesting person of all. He took my attention as none of the 



MEMORIES OF A PIONEER 55 



others did. I was led to this, I have no doubt, by the deference 
paid to him by every member of the party, including- the clergymen. 
He was, I think, fully of middle age, if not a little over it. I think 
I had a little before been reading 1 a translation of the French classic, 
Telemaque, so to me he seemed to hold the place of Mentor to his 
party. When the gentlemen spoke to him they addressed him as 
Doctor, when spoken of among 1 themselves it was the governor, 
but to other persons it was the Doctor, or Dr. Robinson, and 
always in the most respectful way. When we stopped to eat our 
lunch or other meals, it was he who said grace or asked the divine 
blessing, and when we were ready to get upon our shake-down in 
camp or elsewhere for the night, he would extend his hand into 
some hidden pocket and bring out a small copy of the Bible or 
New Testament, and begin reading without an introductory word, 
intermingling the reading with short comments very appropriate 
to impress the lesson, all, including the clergymen, when present, 
giving most respectful attention ; concluding a service occupying 
about ten minutes with an exactly suitable extempore prayer, 
commending us all to the gracious care of our Heavenly Father. 
The Doctor drew out more of my respectful attention than any 
other member of this very interesting party, and as he did not 
remain in the country, and I did not hear of him afterwards, it 
remained in my mind as a puzzle for years as to what he was 
himself, and in what relation he stood to the other members of his 
company. This was only made plain to me a short time since, 
when I learned that he was the honoured father of our respected 
townsman, A. G. Robinson, Esq., and that he stood in very close 
blood and social relation with every other member of his company, 
and that the clergymen deferred to him as he was himself a 
clergyman, though not then engaged in clerical duties, and that 
he was really the Mentor of his company. 

I must give an incident in which the Rev. Mr. Brough acted 
an interesting part, and with that end this Memory. It must not 
be forgotten that, at the time of which I write, the Indians owned 
and occupied the site of our town. It was their village, and the 
white people were either persons privileged to live here or intruders. 
While at our agency the Rev. Mr. Brough met some of the Indians 
of the mission, and was much interested in them. He made some 
efforts to ascertain how far they were indeed Christianized. In 
these attempts at conversation I sometimes acted as interpreter, as 
I had a little of their language. These interviews were not 
satisfactory to Mr. Brough, nor myself, as I wished them to be. 
The Indian never reveals his inner self to persons who have not 
first gained his confidence. Mr. Brough did not get much out of 
them. I recommended him to visit the mission, to call on the 



56 MEMORIES OP A PIONEE# 

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^j^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^i 

missionary, and attend some of their religions services. He could 
get more in that way than in the way we were trying". To this he 
consented, and made the appointment for the next Sunday morning. 
When the morning- came I found that he had engaged my fellow 
assistant, Mr. Edward Waring, to accompany us. They were on 
the road for the three mile walk before I was quite ready. I 
overtook tb,em before reaching the village. I might say here that 
Mr. Waring was a well educated young Irishman, who retained 
much of the brusque manner and brogue attributed to Irishmen 
who see the light first in the South of Ireland, and when his words 
did not come readily to express all his feelings, he would mix them 
with some terms, used much more commonly then than at the* 
present time, called sometimes profanity. The invitation to 
accompany us was kindly intended by Mr. Brough as an effort 
towards reforming Edward. When we reached the place of 
meeting the Sunday-school was about beginning. I introduced 
the Rev. Mr. Brough to Mr. Swartz, the teacher, mentioning why 
Mr. Brough was there. I expected that Mr. Swartz would 
introduce Mr. Brough to the missionary, Mr. Miller, when he 
arrived, which he did not do, but that gentleman entered the pulpit 
at once and proceeded with the services, not noticing the strangers 
present, which made me feel a little awkward and out of place. 
There were no white persons there besides the mission people 
and the visitors. The service was for the Indians. The hymns 
and singing were in their language. The minister s prayer was 
in English. The Scriptures were read in both languages. The 
sermon was first in English, then interpreted by Mr. Crane, an. 
Indian lay preacher, into their language. The whole took up 
about an hour and a half. The theme of the discourse was a 
practical one on various Christian duties. How Christians should 
conduct themselves towards each other and 1 the world around them. 
I do not recall the text. The subject I remember well. I was 
pleased with it. I expected Mr. Brough to be pleased. Mr. 
Waring, at the door when we were starting for home, excused 
himself, saying, "I will overtake you before you reach home. " 
Mr. Brough then said to me: "I fear Mr. Waring did not like 
the lecture I gave him this morning on his use of improper language, 
and he is now leaving us to go without him." I was in quite a 
hurry to hear Mr. Brough s judgment of the services, particularly 
of the sermon, as we Methodists coun.t much on the sermon. He 
began by saying he did not like it at all. " Why," said he, " the 
man did not preach any gospel ; he never once told them that they 
were sinners, and never once offered them a Saviour. It was just 
duties what they should do. He could never make Christians of 
them in that way." I made the best defence I could for my 



MEMORIES OF A PIONEER 57 



minister. I am sure it was not a strong one, for just then Edward 
overtook us. Mr. Broug-h, turning to him, said, " I was telling 
Mr. W that I did not like the sermon." Then he repeated what 
he had said to me. Edward made answer: "Well now! I 
thought it was just the thing suitable for them. Why, sure, you 
wouldn t have the man to be after telling them the same things 
every Sunday, would you ?" The parson could make no answer 
to that. The Irishman s ready wit was better than argument. 

T. W. 



58 MEMORIES OF A PIONEER 



YET ANOTHER MEMORY OF 1832. 

I think it was on the morning of the gth of November, 1832, that 
Mr. Richey directed my attention to an open letter lying on the 
desk, asking me to read it, and say what could be done. It was 
a letter from the late Captain Wood, who, with his family, was 
living at the time in one of the Indians houses, but who had 
selected land near the shore of lake Couchiching, in the seventh 
concession of North Orillia. The Captain, calling himself an 
" indigent settler," was making a demand to have a shanty built 
on his land, as he said he was not sure the Indian would not turn 
him out of his house before winter was over. It was better to get 
upon his own land. The work of the shanty building party was 
thought to be over for the season. The men were separated, and 
at other work. The party consisted of ten men, including their 
boss, or foreman, who went into the woods and built shanties 
without the aid of a team to draw the logs. The boss was a man 
named Douglass, a Scotchman, and an energetic fellow. He 
settled somewhere in Medonte. I understand that both he and his 
wife have been dead for many years. Some of their family remain ; 
I have, however, never met with them. The Agent suggested, 
" If you can find Douglass, he will gather up a party." I found 
Douglass, and he found his party of axemen. We were to start 
for the work by the break of day, on the morning of the tenth of 
November. 

In the meantime it had been quite cold ; we had a touch of 
early winter. The smaller lakes were frozen over. I had learned 
from an Indian that Couchiching had frozen, so that it would be 
safe to walk down the shore to the place I wished to reach. We, 
the eleven men of us, took the ice and walked down, the men 
carrying their provisions and camping necessaries for two days. 
I directed the men not to gather into groups, but to keep some 
distance apart, which they did orderly enough untilwenearly reached 
our destination. When I judged we were near the place, I took 
out my map and spread it on the ice to compare the shores with 
the map. While I was intent on this work the men forgot my 
caution, and gathered round me. All at once I felt the ice 
bending ; I picked up the map and ran out between the men, 



MEMORIES OF A PIONEER 59 



crying 1 , " Scatter for your lives, the ice is bending." They were 
not slow to do this, and it certainly saved us a cold bath at least, 
for after we left the place the water came up over more than an 
acre of space, though the ice was not broken, merely bent and 
cracked. Going on shore I directed the men to make a fire, 
prepare their dinner and camp, while I traced the Townline so as 
to prove my position. Then I would select the place to build. 
This was my duty always, and to stay with the men until the 
foundation was laid and one or two rounds of logs laid on ; then I 
might leave them to finish it. A little singular : my eldest 
daughter and her husband, Mr. A. T. Reed, own, and they with 
their family occupy and toil on the farm on which is the site of that 
shanty, and there, in one of their fields, are some stones and 
burnt earth, marking the place of the " back wall," against which 
was burnt in it the huge log fires of the early day. 

It appeared to me that I could not close this Memory better 
than by attempting to give a description of an average shanty, 
such as were built for the early settlers of this country, and by 
them, and in which they were glad to find shelter in which some 
of them soon learned to make a very cosey home. They were built 
of round logs, generally from eight, ten, or twelve inches in 
diameter, and were in size from twelve feet by fourteen feet. This 
was considered a small-sized shanty. Others were fourteen feet 
in width by sixteen or eighteen feet in length ; these were 
considered large-sized shanties, and where the people had no 
teams to haul the logs they were not easily built so large. The 
covering was basswood scoops, or trauves. That is, basswood 
trees of a foot in diameter, or a little more, were cut into lengths 
a little longer than the width of the shanty, then split in half, then 
hollowed out by the men with their axes until a substance of about 
two inches thick was left of the outside of the half log, the heart 
all taken out. The other half served in the same way, until enough 
of these hollowed half-logs were made ; then they were put on, the 
bottom tier with bark down, the edges up. Then the others were 
put with hollow over the two edges of the lower trauves, like tiles, 
until the whole was so covered. When these scoops or trauves 
were carefully made and put on there was a pretty good roof, 
which would keep out rain or wet, and when well and carefully 
chinked with blocks of wood and clay, and caulked with moss, 
they were warm, and though they could never be made into a 
handsome dwelling, with skill, care and some taste, they were often 
made very cosey, very comfortable in the inside. The Agency 
shanty builders would cut out the space for a door, then leave it to 
the owner to hew inside as he liked, put in door, window and 
floor if he could and was able, or live without them if he chose. 



60 MEMORIES OF A PIONEER 



I have put in a good many evenings and nights with great comfort 
and pleasure in such dwellings. They, or something like them, 
were the dwellings of all our early settlers. The best Canadian 
families began their history in log cabins, or log scooped-roofed 
shanties. 

It has occurred to me that possibly there may be somewhere 
in our county a tolerably well-preserved specimen of the old shanty, 
and if it could be found someone who is able should send a 
photographer to take the picture, or this new " Pioneer and 
History" Society should undertake that very necessary duty, so 
that the experiences of those early times may not be so soon 
forgotten. T.W. 



MEMORIES OF A PIONEER 61 



XL 

Before passing 1 backward to take up the mention of some 
incidents of the early settlement of the Penetanguishene Road, it 
struck me, on reflection, that some thing s should be written just 
here to put a sort of finish on what last appeared in your columns. 
I will do this in the form of notes, or addenda, or appendix. Call 
them what they are most like. 

First. I would not have it implied that I saw anything 1 
wrong, or out of the strictest propriety, in the large exercise of 
hospitality towards the people of his own class, coming- to the 
country, on the part of the Governor of the Province. It was, 
indeed, much to his honour, and very good to the people so 
favoured, an evidence of the kindness of his heart and nothing out 
of keeping with his position. I would also say here that I cannot 
recall an instance of any gentleman abusing this kindness in a way 
to bring upon himself the application of the term "sponge." I 
would further say that I do not put in a claim that the more 
numerous common people should have had like hospitality extended 
to them. This would have been altogether impossible, and it 
would not have been agreeable to them, for there is in the great 
commonality of British people a deep love of independence, and as 
strong a dislike for being patronized in any way. Such hospitality 
was not thought of, nor desired. The only thing in this place 
which justifies the mention of it was the fact that these gentlemen 
carried letters to the Agent, enjoining the same attention to them 
by him. During" the years 1833-34 it fell upon me to do the 
hospitalities in the absence of the Agent. The letters were then 
handed to me without hesitation, and in all cases I endeavoured to 
carry out the instructions. The question has arisen since : could, 
or would, the Governor have given these instructions to an officer 
on salary, never larg^e in those times, if there was not a way of 
making a charge for their cost on the public purse ? In such a 
case there would not be a fair distribution of what belonged to one 
class as much as to the other. The common people got no share 
of this. That fact is the only thing which at all justifies the 
mention of it. 

Second. In the latter part of the season of 1833, letters came 



62 MEMORIES OF A PIONEER 



to the Agent from the office of the Governor s Secretary, informing 
him that a very large number of poor people, a peasant class, were 
on their way to the country, or would soon be on the way. They 
were mostly from estates in the Highlands of Scotland. That the 
landlords were putting them away from these estates so as to 
enlarge and extend the pasturages for sheep, deer parks, &c. , and 
in order that much of the land, now yielding no profit, might be 
planted to forest. That quite a number of the same class of people 
were coming from one of the provinces of the Kingdom of Hanover, 
over which kingdom our British king, William IV., was still 
sovereign. These, too, must be provided for. Along with this 
information there was mentioned a scheme to only allot to these 
poor, dependent people five acres of land to each male, head of a 
family, and to reserve a block of land in rear of them for the young 
men, for a short time at least, until they grew to man s estate. 
This was the Governor s scheme, and the opinion of the Agent was 
asked as to the practical character of the plan, and whether he 
would undertake to work it out. I can well remember when this 
correspondence came. The Agent strongly disapproved of the 
scheme. It was " absurd," " ridiculous, "stronger language even 
than that, some swearing. If they at headquarters could have sent 
their ears along with their letters it would have cost the Agent his 
appointment, for his language was far from complimentary to 
their sanity and intelligence. The trouble was to prepare a 
respectful reply which would not offend. The reply was that in 
his opinion it would fail in the practical effort to work it out ; that 
it was not possible .for these people so to cultivate five acres of 
bush land as to obtain a living from them. 

The answer given did not satisfy the devisors of the five-acre 
scheme it only seemed to irritate them. Orders were immediately 
sent to select a block of middling good land of about four hundred 
acres, as near to the present residence of the Agent as such a 
block could be found, send the name of a qualified surveyor, and 
the commission would at once be issued to sub-divide this block 
into five-acre lots. This was immediately done. The land was 
selected in the township of Sunnidale, on the west side of the 
Sunnidale road, at or near Brentwood of thepresentday, surveyedby 
Mr. Robert Ross, a Provincial surveyor just then settling in Barrie, 
and opened for settlement. A few families, mostly Highland 
Scotch a good class of settlers took up lots and built their 
shanties. Never more than half a score of families altogether 
settled upon this first five-acre block. As an experiment, it was a 
failure. Most of those who did settle on them looked upon them 
as a sort of half-way house, in which they could and did wait for 
something better in the future, and farther on, when the roads 



MEMORIES OF A PIONEER 63 



were opened out. Some families coming- just then took 
discouragement at the small quantity of land offered them, did not 
stay, but sought their location elsewhere. There were not many 
who did so, for at the same time land could be purchased, and 
many of these people who brought with them a few sovereigns did 
purchase. Some who were too poor to purchase, and 
could not go back for the same reason, were glad 
to remain, have their shanty built, and wait. There were other 
ties. Many families were neighbours in the old land and in many 
instances of kin to each other, and these ties are strong- among- 
the Scottish people and bind them together called clannishness 
by those who do not know better a very commendable feeling- 
wherever it prevails. The descendants of these people are to be 
found to-day among the most comfortably circumstanced and 
prominent persons in the beautiful country beyond, which they 
helped to open up, and if any of the pioneers survive, and surely 
some do, they will only look back with pride to the early days and 
what they endured in them. I do not think the five-acre scheme 
in the first instance brought more privation and suffering to those 
settlers who accepted it than they would have met in settlement in 
any other way. It must have saved them inconveniences, for 
neighbours were by this means nearer to help each other. As a 
provision for families it was inadequate. As a plan to produce in 
the country an inferior and peasant class of people, which was 
certain!) the desig-n of its promoters, it does not display either 
wisdom or goodness. But as we shall see, the experiment was to 
be pursued in another place, and on a larger scale. 



64 MEMORIES OF A PIONEER 



Memories A New Series 

Your readers will mostly know that the military road, called 
the Penetanguishene road, was the base of the first real settlement 
of the country north of Lake Simcoe. This road was designed to 
be a continuation north of the then already famous Yonge-street 
road, leading from York, the then capital of Upper Canada, to the 
Holland Landing, the southernmost point of the navigation of Lake 
Simcoe. About the year 1813 or 14 a Provincial surveyor, named 
Birdsall, was instructed by the authorities to run out a line from a 
point on Kempenfeldt Bay, Lake Simcoe, to a suitable point on 
the beautiful inlet of Penetanguishene. This line was to be a 
military road, but he was to lay out on both sides farm lots of 
one-quarter of a mile in width, and to limit the rear of these lots by 
parallel lines on the east and on the west, one mile and a quarter 
distant, making two hundred-acre farm lots, and numbering them 
towards the north. These lots numbered to upwards of 120. As 
these writings are memories, and I have no desire that they should 
be considered in any other character, I may say that it was my 
pleasure to meet the gentleman who did that surveying in the year 
1836, near his place of dwelling, in the Township of Toronto, not 
far from the village of Churchville. He was then an elderly man, 
styled Major Birdsall, a much respected and influential magistrate. 
The centre line run by Mr. Birdsall has been pronounced by 
competent judges, who have observed its directness, one of the 
best, if not the most correct, lines run by compass for so long a 
distance through a wild, densely-timbered country, in the entire 
Province. The form and measurement of the lots on this line was 
the same as prevailed generally in the Province before that time, 
and as found in all the older settlements, and called to distinguish 
it from later forms, "The Old Survey." Very soon the same 
autumn and winter men were at work opening up, bridging and 
crosswaying this road to Penetanguishene, but intended only as a 
winter road for the passage of sleighs. It was some years 
afterwards before any vehicle with wheels attempted to pass upon 
it. As late as 1824-25 the settlers who needed any teaming done 
did it with sleighs, or wooden-runnered "jumpers," as they called 
them, drawn by oxen. The road was made along the centre line, 



MEMORIES OF A PIONEER 65 

except where the makers thought it needful to deviate to avoid small 
lakes, swampy land, or steep hills, and for these purposes there 
were some pretty wide deviations, both east and west. This road 
was the base on which the first settlement was formed. I am not 
quite certain of the date of the sitting down of the first settlers. 
Our family came in 1822, but most of our neighbours said they 
came in three years before. That would take us back to 1819. I 
think this would apply generally to the first ten miles of the south 
end of the road. But there were some families settled at the north 
end within seven or eight miles of the Naval and Military 
establishment at Penetanguishene, generally spoken of as "The 
Establishment" by the settlers, traders and others, at that time, 
and for some years afterwards. With my father I visited this 
establishment in August of 1822, and took in the impression that 
the clearings and buildings of the settlers at that end of the road 
had the appearance of being older than the same things at the 
south end. I got the notion that they might have been in earlier 
by a year or two, but not more. The road, if we do not mention 
the bridges over streams and some short pieces of crossway, was 
not much more than a trail through the woods, north of the first 
twelve miles, a very hard road to travel, used as a road in summer 
only by persons on foot or horseback, and very little of the latter, 
for less than half-a-dozen would number all the horses in the 
settlement, taking in both ends. Cattle would also be driven up 
the road as beef supply for the establishment, and for the use 
of settlers. The road was also used when the soldiers of the 
garrison were relieved, one corps or regiment for another. I 
remember when a company of the ygth Regiment was marching 
up to relieve a company of the 71 st Regiment, that two men of the 
former died upon the road from hard travel, great heat of the 
weather, mosquitoes, and bad beer they had been drinking made 
and sold to them by one of the settlers. The officer commanding 
was court-marshalled and censured severely when it was found that 
he had not appointed a rearguard to look after stragglers. When 
the ice on Lake Simcoe would become strong enough to 
carry teams, say from the middle of January until after the middle 
of March, there would be some lively times on the road teaming 
supplies with sleighs to the establishment, to the fur traders and 
the settlers. The only access to the settlement from the front was 
by Lake Simcoe in the summer by small sailing vessels and row 
boats, and in the winter over the ice. There was no land road 
until 1826 or 27. A mere track, or trail, was run through Innisfil 
about that time, and settlers began to come in upon it. All the 
supplies needed by the people, except what grew on their new 
farms, had to be brought either by boat or teamed over the ice in 



66 MEMORIES OF A PIONEER 



winter. The earliest of the settlers sometimes did take grists of 
their grain over the lake to the " red mill" at Holland Landing. 
There was no mill on this side the lake until the latter part of 1826, 
when Oliver s mill was built at the place now called Midhurst. 
The land was quickly responsive to the labour of the settlers in 
clearing and planting it. Besides the common grains wheat, oats 
and barley all kinds of garden stuffs rewarded those who planted 
them with abundant returns. Potatoes, turnips, Indian corn, beans 
and pumpkins gave good crops. Even melons grew and ripened when 
the land was fresh as they do not seem to have done since. The 
cows gave a good flow of milk, contributing thus largely to the 
living and comfort of the families. Swine could mostly find their 
own food in the woods in summer, and as they soon grew to 
maturity and required only a little extra food for their fattening, 
they produced meat in tolerable plenty to the settlers. The new 
country seemed also to agree well with our fowls. They gave us 
eggs in abundance, and filled our yards with their young, which 
quickly grew to full size, so that in the latter part of the summer 
we nearly lived on their products. Berries of different kinds and 
wild red plums were often to be had in plenty, especially in forsaken 
clearings, and, when sweetened by the produce of our maple trees 
gathered in our sugar harvest each spring, we thought them a 
luxury. And I should not forget the wild pigeon. He was seldom 
absent long in our summers, and though he sometimes plagued us 
by claiming part of our seed sown in spring and fall, and dropping 
down on our harvest fields in his thousands, he often served the 
part of the quails to the Israelites in the wilderness. He gave us 
flesh for a stew or a pot-pie when flesh was not plentiful. We had 
also as a frequenter of our fields the American quail. He was 
seldom killed. We so much admired his pretty ways and cheerful 
call of" Bob White," we did not think of shooting him. My father 
once shot our cat because she caught the quails which came into 
our barnyard. In the early years of the settlement they were quite 
numerous in summer. We thought they went south in winter 
and returned to their summer haunts in spring. When the country 
began to fill up with settlers they ceased coming. 

Your readers might be led by the foregoing paragraph to 
surmise that those early times had in them something of the 
character of Paradise, but they had another and more gloomy side 
a side of real hardship, even of suffering in necessary privation 
of things which had contributed very largely to their comfort in all 
their previous life. As a rule, the settlers had none of them been 
among the indigent classes. They had all, as far as I can recall a 
memory of them, filled places among the comfortable middle ranks, 
much above the assisted immigrants of later years, who were styled 



MEMORIES OF A PIONEER 67 

"Indigent Settlers" in documents issued by Government. But 
more of this when I come to individualise the families of which the 
settlement was composed. It is not at all likely that any of them 
knew what to provide, nor had they a conception of what they 
would have to do or endure to carry out the enterprise they had 
entered into. Many of them brought full chests of raiment, but it 
was mostly unsuitable to the country and climate. Only to think 
of having garments made of moleskin, corduroy, and broadcloth in 
a Canadian winter, with snow three feet in depth, and shoes with 
thick soles driven full of hob-nails. The Irishman s frieze was a 
better clothing. I remember hearing one man say he had brought 
out stockings yes, stockings to last him and his boys five years, 
but they were not suitable, and involved suffering, and did not last 
the " five years." And how to have them succeeded by more 
suitable raiment was very often a most serious question, the only 
answer to which, in many thrifty cases, was patch upon patch. 
Then in their food certain things which are always considered 
essential to the civilised man s table were always scarce, sometimes 
short, and for long spaces altogether absent. Every pound of 
flour was brought distances from fifty to seventy miles until the 
later part of 1826. With perhaps every family there were scarce 
times, with some longer or shorter periods of " no bread." Tea 
and coffee, unless made of herbs or roasted grain, was a luxury 
only indulged in by adults, and not by all of them. Tea was never 
less often much more than $i the pound. I will finish this 
Memory by giving it as my opinion that had it not been for the 
Naval and Military Establishment at Penetanguishene, which was 
maintained until 1831, and in which quite an amount of money was 
expended from year to year, giving good markets and good 
prices for many things produced by the settlers, the settlement 
would of necessity have been a failure. Several of the first went 
away discouraged, others would have followed until none were 
left. But I think none of the families which held on and persevered 
have any regrets on that account. In some of my future papers I 
will describe a dinner at which I took part a feast in those times, 
when bread and tea were scarce. 



68 MEMORIES OF A PIONEER 



Addendum. 



Editor of the Packet : 

SIR, In fulfilment of my promise I will recall the memory of 
some incidents in the life of thelate Rev. Dr. Rose, and will begin with 
my earliest recollections. During- the later years of the second 
decade the township of Innisfil began to fill up with settlers. They 
were generally a good class of people. Many of them, perhaps the 
greater part, had been previously settled in some older part of our 
Province. Some were directly from the old countries England, 
Scotland, and Ireland. Protestants were by far the most numerous, 
and they were in their religious holdings about equally divided 
among the leading denominations of our Protestant Christianity. 
One family of Scottish origin claimed affinity to what was then, and 
is still, one of the smallest religious bodies in our country the 
Congregationalists. They were godly, good-living people, though 
thought by some of their neighbours to be narrow, somewhat 
exclusive in their recognition of others as brethren in Christ. They 
seemed to hold so strongly to certain views of religious truth and 
practice as to suggest to broader minds the idea of bigotry. They 
were, however, held in esteem and trusted as leading pure lives, 
by all who were well acquainted with them. I have been told that 
from the first ot their settlement the old gentleman Mr. 
Climie was n ot only in the habit of maintaining family 
worship, but that on Sundays his neighbours were invited to join 
them in his house, in a more public acknowledgment of Divine 
things in a large service of praise and prayer, the reading and 
expounding of Holy Scripture. I know that a few years afterwards 
there was in the neighbourhood a regularly constituted Congre- 
gationalist church, of which Mr. Climie was the chosen pastor, 
and it was there for several years. But I am writing of the earlier 
years. Two of the sons of this family had acquired skill in mason 
work. They could lay stone and brick, and what is more, they 
could build chimneys which carried their smoke upwards and did 
not spread it through the house a great thing in those days, when 
cooking stoves had not become general. They were patronised 



MEMORIES OF A PIONEER 69 



extensively in the older settlements to the east and south of their 
home. While at this work they met with a religious people holding 
and teaching doctrines and practices altogether new to them. The 
people called themselves "Christians," as if they, and they only, 
had claim to the name believers were given " first in Antioch." 
People mostly spoke of them as Chrystians, as if spelt with a very 
long "i" or "y. " They were a kind of Unitarian Baptists, holding 
strongly to baptism by immersion, and denying the Deity of the 
Blessed Lord. At least this was their teaching at the time of 
which I am writing. In their worship the singing, prayers, and 
preaching they carried a great appearance of earnestness ; seemed 
to cultivate the emotional in their manner. Our young friends 
were brought to a good degree under the influence of these people, 
so much so as to give some fear to the mind of their godly and 
orthodox father. It was at this time Samuel Rose, a licensed 
probationer for the ministry of the Methodist Church, had assigned 
to him a mission to the settlements in the townships west of 
Yonge-street. In the Record his station is called " Albion." His 
work, however, extended into all the adjoining townships. The 
fame of his work must have reached Innisfil, for our friend, Mr. 
Climie, thinking that Methodist teaching would not be as harmfulas 
some others it was certainly orthodox set out in quest of the 
missionary and found him. After hearing him preach, he sought 
and obtained an interview. Relating to him his troubles and 
anxieties, he put to him the question, " Will you undertake to 
preach a discourse on the great Christian doctrine of the Trinity in 
unity, and especially to maintain the Godhead, the Deity, of the 
Blessed Christ ?" Mr. Rose answered at once that he could and 
would, that his attention had been specially directed to that subject 
lately. An appointment was made and Mr. Climie hastened home to 
prepare his family and neighbours for the visit of the man of God. 
The time was not long in coming round. The preacher was on 
hand and, like Cornelius, Mr. Climie had filled his house with friends 
and neighbours. The service was held. The preaching must 
have given satisfaction to the old gentleman especially for 
before the meeting was closed with a last song of praise, he rose 
up and, grasping the preacher by the hand, he thanked him heartily 
in his own behalf and for all present for his discourse ; for his able 
presentation of those grand foundation truths of our blessed 
religion. What the after effect was I am not able to say. I know, 
however, that Mr. Climie and his family persevered in their good 
course. Some years afterwards I spent a pleasant Sabbath with 
them, worshipping in a snug log meeting-house. The eldest son 
of the family entered the ministry, lived and laboured an honoured 
and useful minister of the Congregational bod} . It might be 



70 MEMORIES OF A PIONEER 



thought by some persons that Mr. Rose was a little venturesome, 
if nothing worse, for a man so young and with so little experience 
to undertake so great a work as the exposition and defence of this 
great Christian mystery the Trinity in unity, the Deity of the 
Blessed Christ. Many older, well equipped men would have 
shrunk from the undertaking. But here we see his sense of duty, 
his admirable courage. "He was sent for the defence of the 
gospel ;" felt and acted from this conviction. The spirit of that 
time was different from the present. Preaching was more 
doctrinal ; more exposition and argument on doctrinal matters 
than now. Even young men were expected to be up in all matters 
of religious controversy. Back in " the forties" the Methodist 
Church used means to keep up her people s interest in missions 
which she uses no longer. Then the method was to have 
deputations of two or more leading ministers to traverse large 
sections of country, preach as far as they could in the churches on 
Sunday, and hold platform meetings through the week. These 
deputations made some long journeys and were out for some weeks 
in succession. It was quite a tax on some of our leading men. 
Mr. Rose had been engaged in that way, and returning towards 
home he called for a visit and a mid-day rest with a friend in one 
of the villages. When the time came for resuming the journey 
his host and he were passing behind a horse in one of the stalls, 
which threw out its heels and struck Mr. Rose in the side of his head 
and sent him staggering over the floor, and falling into a condition 
of unconsciousness, from which he was revived with some difficulty. 
When he was becoming conscious the doctor was giving him 
something in a teaspoon, and he asked, "What are you giving me?" 
" Brandy." He paused a little as if thinking, then asked, " Is it 
necessary to save my life that I should take brandy ?" The doctor 
said he thought it was. " Well," said Mr. Rose, "as long as you 
think so, give it me, and when you think I can live without it, 
give me no more, for I am pledged total abstainer." It is thought 
that this valuable life would then have been cut short but for the 
fact that the horse s foot was filled with dung. One of the caulks 
made a slight abrasion on his temple and another made a mark on 
his neck. I had the fact from the doctor who attended him. He 
concluded his story by remarking, "You might trust a man who 
remembers his pledge like that." 

THOS. WILLIAMS. 
The Cottage, Orillia, August i, 1890. 



Printed by THE PACKET, Orillia, Ontario 



Simcoe County Pioneer and 
Historical Society 



PIONEER PAPERS-No. 3 



BARRIE -. 

Published by tbe Society. 

1910. 



CONTENTS. 



PAGE 

Memories of the Rebellion of 37 GILBERT 

ROBINSON. 5 

Reminiscences of Lake Simcoe HENRY 
O BRIEN, K. C. .... 8 

The Days of the Pioneers at Big Bay Point- 

DONALD MCKAY 12 

Pioneer Life in Vespra GEO. SNEATH - 16 

Some Reminiscences His HONOR JUDGE 
ARDAGH 25 

An Interesting Document (Orillia Township) 
(From the Orillia Packet) 4 



PIONEER PAPERS. 



MEMORIES OF THE REBELLION OF 37. 
By Gilbert Robinson. 

(The following Narrative was written down by his grand 
son, Percy J. Robinson, M. A., St. Andrew s College, Toronto 
on the occasion of its recital, Aug. 4, 1892). 

Our attention had been turned to Lower Canada where 
the Rebellion had already broken out. We thought those 
who were disaffected would go to join the rebels in Lower 
Canada, never dreaming that a Rebellion would break out 
in Upper Canada, although it was well known that there were 
many who were rebelliously inclined. 

One evening my brother-in-law, Mr. Hunter, came run 
ning in and said, "Do you know that the rebels have massed 
around Queensville and Sharon and are marching to take 
Toronto"? I did not believe it at first; then he said, "Let us 
go down to Bradford and hear the news." So we went to the 
village and there found the report was true. Everybody was 
in a state of excitement, and there was quite a crowd of people 
in the village. "We ll have to fight for the country," said I, 
"for if these rebels are unopposed they will take the country 
at once." That night, knowing of several in the village who 
belonged to the party of the rebels, I organized expeditions 
and we went to their houses and demanded their arms. I 
said to them "Either give up your arms or promise to take 
no part in the rising." They all chose to surrender their arms, 
and thus a few guns were secured. But the forces which gath 
ered were armed mostly with pitchforks and pikes. Mr. Drif- 
fil, the blacksmith, worked all day and night putting iron 
pikes upon poles to furnish arms for the gathering forces. 

It was some time before we could get the men from the 
surrounding country together. We could get no dispatches 
to or from Toronto, but in two or three days we were on the 
march fully expecting to have to fight our way to the city. 
News reached us of the battle at Montgomery s, but the danger 
seemed to be by no means past so we marched on. We suffered 
much from want of food; the taverns had abundance of salt 
pork, but it was impossible to eat it so strongly was it salted. 



PIQNBER PAPERS. 



Demands for bread met with little response; many people 
were rebelliously inclined so we could expect but little. Under 
these circumstances I headed an expedition to search a house. 
We were refused any bread, but with one or two others I went 
up the stairs and away to the back of the house where we dis 
covered a table covered with a white cloth. Lifting the cloth 
we found provisions in abundance. I called for steelyards 
and we weighed all that we took and gave the people a receipt. 
The food had been prepared for the rebels, and consisted of 
about eighty pounds of the finest mince pies and some hun 
dred and fifty pounds of bread. 

At one point of the Ridges it was rumored that the rebels 
had fortified themselves, so volunteers were called for to re 
connoitre; but only six were found, so great was the fear which 
the rebels had inspired. Word was brought that there were 
two guns in a house near by. I was one of the party despatched 
to search for them. When we reached the house we found 
only a woman and her son, a young boy. The woman began 
to cry but was assured that no harm was meant if she would 
give up the guns. On her refusal to do so I said jokingly to 
the boy "Then we must take you along." This frightened him 
and he immediately promised to give up the guns. He took 
us away to the top of the house and there we got the guns. 
I then asked him for the ammunition which was in the house. 
He produced a mug filled with bullets and a horn of powder; 
after getting these we departed. 

In the city there had been no soldiers and only some sixty 
could be got to turn out for the defence of the place. After 
a few days stay in Toronto, during which scarcity of food was 
the general complaint, we were given discharge and began 
our march back. When in Toronto I had an opportunity of 
shaking hands with Sir Francis Bond Head. On our way back 
we were assisted by all the horses that could be pressed into 
service. 

Biographical Note. 

Gilbert Robinson J. P. whose recollections of the Rebellion 
are here recorded was born in 1807 and became a pioneer of 
Simcoe County. His father, William Robinson, came to Can 
ada from King s County, Ireland, in 1822, and being^ joined 
by his family a few years later they settled in West Gwillim- 
bury on the Penetanguishene Road about a mile and a half 
north of Bradford. The ancestors of the family had come 
originally from Yorkshire, England, and this circumstance 



PIONEER PAPERS. 



is said to have suggested the name Bradford in memory of the 
place of that name in Yorkshire. There had been a sugges 
tion to call the Canadian village Molloytown, but Thos. Driffil 
and other Englishmen supported the English name. In 1835 
Gilbert Robinson married Miss Mary Hunter, a native of Coler- 
aine, Co. Antrim, Ireland, who had then but recently arrived 
in West Gwillimbury, and they began married life on lot 15, 
con. 8, of the township, two miles north of Bradford, on the 
Penetanguishene Road. Afterwards a large brick house was built, 
long known as Mount Pleasant, perhaps in memory of Mount 
Pleasant House, King s Co., Ireland, which was the ancestral 
home of the princely set of the O Connors. Mr. Robinson 
prospered in life, and in addition to his farm conducted a brick 
yard, being the first to make bricks in that neighborhood. 
In 1885, Mr. and Mrs. Robinson celebrated their golden wedd 
ing, when a friendly address and presentation to them bore 
witness to the esteem in which both were held in the township. 
Their family consisted of William Robinson, at one time mem 
ber of the township council; James Robinson, ex-reeve of 
Wallace; John Robinson, ex-reeve of Maryboro and now Li 
cense Inspector, Bond Head; George H. Robinson, M. A., 
formerly principal of Whitby Collegiate Institute, and editor 
of the Presbyterian Review; Dr. Robert H. Robinson of Toronto; 
an adopted daughter, Mrs. Robert Hunter; and Mrs. James 
Wilson, wife of James Wilson J. P., who was for many years 
Treasurer of West Gwillimbury and also ex-reeve of the town 
ship. On the burning of "Mount Pleasant", and after the 
death of his wife in 1890, Gilbert Robinson lived with his 
daughter Mrs. Wilson till his death, Dec. 30, 1896. 



8 PIONEER PAPERS. 



REMINISCENCES OF LAKE SIMCOE 
By Henry O Brien, K. C. 

[The York Pioneer and Historical Society, printed in their 
Annual Report for 1909, a synopsis of this Address or Paper which 
its author read before them. The printed synopsis was limited for the 
most part to only the first two pages of the manuscript, this being 
the general introduction. As the paper is of local interest in Simcoe 
County, especially the portion omitted, this is here printed in full.] 

This lake has seen many illustrations travellers, La- 
Salle, Sir John (then Capt.) Franklin, Captain Basil Hall, 
John Gait and others, all of whom have recorded their trips 
across it. The latter (father of the late Chief Justice Gait) 
speaks of the distribution of presents to the Indians at Holland 
Landing. My mother in her diary, 1830, also describes the 
scene. 

In later days the westerly branch of the Holland 1 River was 
used as a jumping off place for Lake Simcoe, just where the 
present railway track crosses the Holland River near Bradford. 
I well remember, as a boy, the wharf and log storehouse 
there, from whence started the boats to carry settlers to and 
from Orillia, Shanty Bay, Barrie, etc. The first steamboat 
to make regular trips to the Bradford landing was the "Bea 
ver," a paddle wheeled steamer, which was larger to my im 
agination then than are now the great liners crossing the At 
lantic. 

In 1820 surveys began of the Townships round the Lake, 
the head of the principal parties of surveyors being J. G. Chewitt, 
afterwards the first President of the Bank of Toronto, and 
George Lount, afterwards Registrar at Barrie, and father of 
the late Judge Lount. 

South Simcoe was of course settled first, few caring to 
cross the Lake, though some straggled through towards Pene- 
tanguishene crossing Kempenfeldt Bay at Tollendal, where 
the first mill was built by an uncle of my father s, Admiral 
O Brien, one of England s great Sea Captains, with whom 
my father went to sea as middy in the Royal Navy in 1812. 



PIONEER PAPERS, 



At that time an impassable swamp at the head of the Bay 
prevented travelling northward in any other way than by 
crossing the Bay. The first settlement was therefore at the 
beginning of the road to Penetanguishene, about 2 miles east 
of the present town of Barrie, and the second settlement was 
Shanty Bay. 

I come now to the more personal and family reminiscences. 

My father, having retired on half pay at the close of the 
war, was in i83o r put in charge of the settlement of what is now 
North Simcoe, by the then Governor of Upper Canada his 
friend and fellow soldier, Sir John Colborne; and a number 
of half pay officers went to share his fortunes in the wilderness, 
my father being in charge. He was subsequently appointed 
chairman of the Quarter Sessions, commissioner of the Court 
of Requests, and Colonel of the Militia. The latter found its 
usefulness some seven years later at the time of the rebellion 
when the Colonel marched to Toronto at the head of the Simcoe 
Militia to uphold the authority of the Crown. 

It is unnecessary to say that a settlement in the back 
woods in those days was no summer picnic, and it is well to 
remember the hardships so bravely and uncomplainingly en 
dured, not by men only, but by delicate, cultured women, 
and we have cause to thank God for these mothers in Israel. 

It must have been a weird experience for example, for my 
mother coming as she did from a comfortable Rectory in Somer 
setshire, to find herself with her husband and her baby of less 
than a year old, with a party of Highlanders as axemen, in 
February of 1831, at a settler s shanty on the south shore 
of Kempenfeldt Bay. All of this is duly recorded in her diary. 
In the early morning they started across the ice in sleighs 
to what is now known as Shanty Bay. Going a short distance 
into the bush ; before nightfall a space was cleared and three 
small log shanties were built, one for the family of three, one 
for the men, and one for a kitchen. She tells how she spent 
part of her idle time in chinking up the walls with moss gather 
ed from trees, and at night, hung her husband s great coat 
in the doorway to keep out some of the wind. A difficulty 
arising as to the disposal of the baby she rolled him in blan 
kets, and made a soft bed for him in a snow drift. Who will 
say that the present occupant of the old homestead (named 
by relatives in England, "The Woods") did not appropriately 
take possession of his future farm, and entitle him to its com 
fort and when the time shall come to a resting place in the 



10 PIONEEB PAPERS. 



Churchyard of the beautiful Church built by his father almost 
on the spot where the three shanties were first put up. 

Thus began "Shanty Bay". But, not long after, its found 
er erected near by what was then a more pretentious 
mansion, but which was appropriately built of huge logs. 
It stands today as sound as the day it was built in 1831, one 
of the monuments of the energy and resource of the men of iron 
who first-carved out of the forest their homes and their farms. 

Bavin s book on Irishmen in Canada gives some interest 
ing incidents in connection with the life of this founder of the 
settlement on the north shore of Lake Simcoe, and many in 
cidents, not there related, I could tell if time permitted. 

His magisterial book or record of proceedings, a marvel 
of neatness and military precision, is in my possession, and it 
often interests me to see how carefully he noted the evidence 
and copied out the proceedings in the often strange cases that 
came before him. But he was not only the judge, for he often 
tied their marriage knots, and was generally in charge and at 
the head of everything. He was a man of strong personality, 
knew his own mind and was not afraid to express his views. 
It needed men of resource and strong hands in those days, and 
we owe them much. 

After the settlement had been in existence for some years 
habits of drinking by the half-pay officers and others became 
all too common. My father felt that as the leader he should 
set his face against this, and with characteristic directness 
commenced a temperance campaign by telling the others that 
there was to be no more brandy and water at least till dinner 
time. Some strenuously opposed this, especially a brother 
officer and an old friend. There were hot words between 
these two fiery spirits, resulting in a challenge from Captain 
Oliver, because he was not given his usual glass of brandy and 
water when he called at "The Woods" as had been the custom, 
and because the Colonel refused to drink with him at his house 
before the allotted time. As chief magistrate it was not of 
course possible for the Colonel to gratify the irate Captain 
as would cheerfully have been done in former days, and so 
there was no meeting. Duelling in his younger days was of 
course common sport, and he came of fighting stock, which 
reminds me of an incident related by Justin McCarthy of my 
father s cousin, William Smith O Brien, who, before the hand 
kerchief was dropped, called, "Stop!" to the annoyance of 
the seconds; but all was explained when this courteous 



PIONEER PAPERS. 11 



dueller called attention to the fact that the percussion cap 
had dropped from the nipple of his opponent s pistol. 

Another incident occurred suggestive of these days. When 
holding court in his parlor at "The Woods" on the trial of a 
prisoner for some offence, a deer was seen on the ice which then 
covered Kempenfeldt Bay, followed closely by a pack of 
wolves. The temptation to take part in the chase could not be 
resisted and witnesses and spectators at the trial, headed by the 
chief constable, started for the ice through the deep snow which 
covered the intervening space. The deer escaped from his foes 
and the wolves made off and in course of time the trial was re 
sumed. I hope the prisoner was let off in honor of the oc 
casion! 

But the romance of these days was changed when the 
County of Simcoe was set apart for judicial purposes in 1843 
and a judge of the District Court appointed. 

In due course, there, as elsewhere, came the iron rails 
and the steam horse. A novel and interesting sight to the 
remains of the savage race that once held sway there. When 
I was on the engineering staff of the Northern Railway we had 
a half-breed from Penetanguishene as axeman. When the road 
was finished and we were paid off I was living in Barrie, and 
very frequently had to be at the station, and frequently 
saw our former axeman on the train. One day wondering 
what he was there for I said to him," Michel, are you a brakes 
man now?" He said "No", I said I see you on the train 
all the time, what are you doing?" to which he replied "Riding 
up and down till pass runs out!" He was doubtless looked 
upon as a great traveller when he got back to his native town. 

Another incident of the railway. A farmer asked the 
price of a ticket from the landing to Toronto. He was told, 
I think, 7(6. He then asked "how long does the journey take." 
"About two hours." Why" said he for the same money 
we would ride on the coach for a whole day," 

The men and women who began the Building of this coun 
try of ours were strong of heart and hand. They feared God 
and nothing else. His blessing rested on their work. 



12 PIONEER PAPERS. 



THE DAYS OF THE PIONEERS AT BIG BAY POINT. 

By Donald McKay. 

One of the earliest settlements in the County of Simcoe was 
at Big Bay Point, which name is locally applied to a considerable 
tract of land comprising the north-eastern portion of the fertile, 
and now thickly settled, Township of Innisfil. The point or head 
land proper, however, is of small area, and is situated about ten 
miles east of Barrie, on the southern shore of Kempenfeldt Bay, 
just where that beautiful sheet of water widens away into the 
bosom of "Old Simcoe" itself. The "Point" at present is a very 
attractive place, having splendid groves of butternut, beech and 
maple, with delightful little clearances between., and is much 
visited in the summer months by fishing and camping parties, 
who find it a most pleasant place to while away a few days or 
weeks during the heated term. During the present summer 
(1885) it has also been the scene of a camp meeting conducted by 
the pastor and members of the Agnes-street Methodist Church, 
Toronto, and several other meetings of a similar character have 
been held during the past few weeks. 

But the pleasure grounds of to-day differ greatly from the 
scene that presented itself to Francis Hewson, one of the Innisfil 
pioneers, when in the early days of the present century he landed 
there and essayed to hew himself out a home amid the trees of 
the forest. The task as it presented itself to Mr. Hewson might 
well have deterred him from the attempt, but before many years 
had elapsed he saw smiling grain fields around his rude log house 
and barn, where on his arrival had stood the oaks and the hem 
locks. The sons of Mr. Hewson sought out homes for themselves 
elsewhere, one of them, William H. Hewson, J.P., now is living at 
Pains wick, some ten miles distant from the old Point farm, where 
he was born The farm was for many years left deserted until 
about ten years ago, when it was bought by Isaac Robinson, who 
still owns it. Mr. Hewson s nearest neighbor was David Soules, 
whose little log house was built about three miles west and near 
the shore of Kempenfeldt Bay. The land here, except a narrow 
strip near the water, is free from stone and of good quality, and is 
still owned by Samuel L. Soules, the only child of the old settler. 
Then came the Hayters and the Hammonds, who have left only 



PIONEER PAPERS. 13 



their names and traditions, and Redferns, the Robinsons, whose 
descendants are still there, and later the Cullen, Hunt and 
Webb families, while farther west George F. H. Warnica sett 
led and raised around him a family of sturdy boys, who with 
their sons now own some of the finest farms in the township. 

The old days were the times of many trials and vicissitudes 
of which the farmers of the present day know little, and one when 
he hears, as your correspondent has heard, the old settlers relate 
what they had to undergo cannot but admire the pluck and forti 
tude which carried them so bravely through difficulties, the mere 
thought of which would have been enough to daunt an ordinary 
person. 

David Soules at the age of eighty, when he was best known 
to your correspondent, was hale and hearty, and full of anecdotes. 
Few of the settlers in that neighborhood but remember well the 
long straggling grey locks, the kindly smile, and the hearty grasp 
of the hand of the "old squire," as he was familiarly called. But 
that was more than a half score years ago, and the old familiar 
form has long since been laid at rest. He had taken part in the 
war of 1812, and his memory of events extended away back into 
the beginning of the present century. He was never tired of 
relating incidents of the doings and sayings of people in those 
early days, and as related by him these anecdotes had a delightful 
quaintness which rendered it a pleasure to listen. His faith in 
the acts of the M.D. was very slight, and he frequently told how 
that when a boy on the old homestead near Thornhill the first 
doctor who settled there was paid a certain sum yearly by each 
family. Although the Soules family was large the year passed on 
with no occasion for the services of the family physician, until al 
most the last week when the father was taken unexpectedly and 
unaccountably ill and the doctor had to be called in, and the 
squire" with a peculiar twinkle would add, "but there was no 
thing the matter with my father, he only wanted to get some 
value for his money In the early days of Innisfil, bears, 
wolves, and deer were numerous, and Mr. Soules and his brother 
killed many of these animals. Preachers were, however, scarce, 
being seen only about once in six months or a year, when some 
itinerant minister would make a journey through the district, 
staying a few days with each of his widely scattered flock and 
preaching whenever he could get a few of the settlers to congre 
gate in some house. In those early days there were matrimonial 
jars the same as there are now, as witness the relief that must have 
been experienced by a neighbor who rushed to the house of Mr. 
Soules and announced the death of his better half by stating: 



14 PIONEER PAPERS. 



My wife s dead, I m free as air." The old clocks that were first 
introduced had wooden wheels, and were of much larger size than 
those now commonly in use. Many of them were famous time 
keepers running right along for half a century or more, but others 
of them were far from being trustworthy, and to this latter class 
belonged the clock owned by Bob" Robinson. Mr. Soules hap 
pening to call there one day found Mrs. Robinson baking and no 
ticed that as she passed and re-passed she would start the pendu 
lum into vigorous motion with a swing of her finger, but after a 
few ticks it would again become stationary. Her visitor ven 
tured the remark that the clock did not appear to be of much use, 
but was rather tartly informed by the lady of the house that the 
clock was all right when she had time to attend to it properly, 
which attention as we have seen consisted in keeping the pendu 
lum in motion with her finger. But enough of anecdotes of this 
nature, as Mr. Soules had other subjects to remember than these. 

The Rebellion of 37 stood out in bold relief in the back 
ground of his memory, and the stirring events of that period 
were often narrated by him to your correspondent. He was 
brother-in-law to Samuel Lount, and though not himself a partici 
pant in the rebellion his sympathies were with that patriot and 
his associates. When the rebellion was at an end and Lount was 
trying to escape, the house of Mr. Soules in that far away corner of 
Innisfil was visited and searched one night by a party of soldiers, 
but no trace of the fugitive was found. S. L. Soules still bears 
in his thigh the mark of a bayonet wound received that night from 
a soldier who thrust his bayonet several times through the bed 
clothes under which the boy was lying, asking him if his rebel 
uncle were there. Afterward when Mr. Lount had been captured 
and sentenced to death, Mr. Soules journeyed hither and thither 
with a petition to the Governor praying for a reprieve of the sen 
tence, and few indeed were those who refused to sign, but when he 
visited his brother-in-law in prison with the cheering intelligence 
of the numbers who had signed the petition, he was told by the 
prisoner with sad prophetic instinct, "It s no use, David, every 
name you get on that petition but makes my death warrant more 
sure!" And so it proved. But these events belong rather to a 
political narrative, and I will not here venture further, but with 
a few general remarks will close this brief reference to the early 
days of Big Bay Point, and to him who for such a long period 
was its central figure. In the old days the first clearances were 
made along the water s edge and the houses were built close to the 
shore, as, no roads having been opened, the water formed the 
only means of communication with the Holland Landing, whence 



PIONEER PAPERS. 15 



supplies of all kinds had to be obtained by the settlers in this 
district, and where the nearest grist mill was situated. The 

squire s" old log house still stands, and near by is the frame 
house now fifty years old, the boards of which were cut with a 

whip saw," before saw-mills were known. But time brings 
many changes, and those hardy pioneers, who felled the stout 
trees of the forest with axes fitted with straight handles and 
laughed when at one of their bees some peripatetic Yankee tried 
to convince them of the superior usefulness of a crooked handle, 
lived to see the flourishing towns of Barrie and Orillia arise where 
on their arrival had stood the forest primeval. They lived to see 
the steamer plough the waters of Kempenfeldt and Simcoe, that 
had previously been broken only by their rude oars, to see a net 
work of railways built in all directions through their county, to 
receive perhaps a few telegraphic messages, and to see improved 
agricultural machinery introduced making the farmer s life that 
of a gentleman, and then they passed one by one away. Toronto 
Daily Globe, August jist, 1885. 



16 PIONEER PAPERS. 



PIONEER LIFE IN VESPRA. 
By Geo. Sneath, Esq. 



Having been solicited to read a paper before you, I have had 
some difficulty in choosing a suitable subject which I could make 
interesting to you. However, with your permission I will en 
deavor to tell you something about pioneer life in the township 
of Vespra, of which township I have been a resident for half a 
century. (Feb. 14, 1893). 

Fifty years ago the town of Barrie was one of a few small 
settlements which Vespra contained, and was as much in the bush 
as any of them. But as I have already written my early recol 
lections of it, which have appeared in print, and as His Honor 
Judge Ardagh, in his admirable paper read at your last meeting, 
covered the whole ground, so far as the early settlement of Barrie 
and the Penetanguishene Road is concerned, I shall not again 
allude to them in this paper, but try to give you some idea of what 
life was in the backwoods of Vespra at the time I have mentioned. 

Vespra is only a third rate farming township, being very 
much broken by hills and swamps, and the soil being poor, ex 
cept in a few sections where it is very good, and where very pros 
perous settlements exist. 

When I first became acquainted with it, it was one of the 
finest timbered townships in the county. There were untold 
riches which were unfortunately out of sight of the settlers 
in its forests. Trees were only an incumbrance, to be got rid of 
in the most expeditious way possible. The finest of pine trees 
were logged up and burnt. At a later period, more were sold to 
lumbermen for a trifle, who made fortunes out of them. I will 
relate you an instance. A few miles from Barrie stood a block of 
pine lands, 600 acres, which was offered for sale, and was a long 
time without a purchaser, at $2 an acre, (I think it was in 1856) ; 
later on it was sold at that price ; again at $4 per acre ; and again 
at $50 an acre to a lumberman, who built a mill on it and made a 
fortune out of it of many thousand dollars. 

For a good many years the most prosperous times Vespra 



PIONEER PAPERS. 17 



ever knew go in what direction you might, could be heard the 
hum of a saw-mill. But now, alas! the timber and the mills are 
gone, along with the busy villages attached to them. 

"But now, the sounds of population fail; 
No cheerful murmurs fluctuate in the gale , 
No busy steps the grass -grown footway tread, 
For all the bloomy flush of life is fled." 

And the land is left desolate and unfit for cultivation. 

At some remote time, there is no doubt but the township was 
thickly inhabited by some aboriginal tribes, probably the Hurons. 
There are evidences of such being the case. Large pits of bones 
have been found in several parts of the township; and pipes, 
arrow heads, crockery, etc., have frequently been ploughed up, of 
which the Indians of our day can give no account, neither have 
they the art of making them. The time of their occupation must 
be remote, for pits containing their bones and articles of their 
manufacture have been found under trees of the largest growth. 
From whence they came, or whither they went, is a mystery 
which I think has not yet been solved. 

The first white settlers in the interior of the township, chiefly 
old soldiers, came in about the years 1833 and 34. They had 
commuted their pensions and were settled on free grants of land. 
They were in most cases, through age and in other ways, unfitted 
to bear the hardships of backwoods life. Being without means, 
they made slow progress in clearing up their lots. They suffered 
many privations. It has been told that some of them were days 
together without bread or meat, and of having to cook the buds 
of the basswood trees for food. The rebellion of 1837 was the 
means of improving their condition. They were taken to Toron 
to and Penetanguishene to defend their country, and for their 
services, besides being supplied with good clothing, of which 
they were in great need, a portion of their commuted pension, 
4X d. per day, was restored to them. They were not successful 
farmers, and as a result their farms passed into other hands. 

Farming here, at the time I have mentioned, was of the most 
primitive kind. Home-made wooden ploughs and harrows were 
used to till the ground, if a settler was fortunate enough to have 
oxen to work them; if not, the crop was hoed in, men, women 
and children taking part in it. The grain was cut with sickles, 
and often carried home on the backs of the settler and his wife. 
Threshing was all done with the flail. It would be a good idea to 
preserve a flail, if one could be found, in a museum, so that future 



18 PIONEER PAPERS. 



generations of farmers might see with what kind of an implement 
their forefathers threshed out their grain. It was nothing un 
usual to see a man trudging along to the mill on foot with a bag of 
grain on his shoulder to get ground. In 1843, excepting Barrie 
and the Penetanguishene Road, there was only one man in the 
township who kept a horse. Waggons there were none. Oxen 
and sleds were used for every purpose, winter and summer, by 
those who were fortunate enough to have them. 

If a journey had to be made to Toronto, it was made on foot, 
the traveller carrying his provisions with him. I have known one 
start from his home in Vespra on a Monday morning, travel all 
the way to Toronto and back on foot , do his business and be home 
on Saturday night, costing him only, in expenses, a trifle for his 
nights lodgings. 

A minister of the gospel was rarely seen, for there were few of 
them and their missions were without limit in extent. It seems 
now, at this time, almost incredible that the good and pious mis 
sionaries of those days, chiefly educated men from the old coun 
try , who had been brought up with all the luxuries and privileges 
of refined life, could endure the hardships they had to bear. I 
have heard some of them relate that they have been on horseback 
from Monday morning till Saturday night, travelling over roads 
at the risk of their lives, and having to eat in places where fastidi 
ous people might not go, and where the tea set before them to 
drink was made of hemlock leaves, and having to sleep in places 
where they could lie in bed and count the stars through the roof. 
All these hardships endured without fee or reward, purely for the 
love of the souls of the poor settlers, who, only for these self- 
sacrificing clergymen, would have been without the ministrations 
of the Gospel. 

In those days of old, Vespra was the El Dorado of the sports 
men. The tract of land west of Barrie, including the valley of the 
Nottawasaga to the shores of Lake Huron, was an almost un 
broken wilderness, over which roamed in large numbers deer, 
wolves, bears and other wild animals, hunted only by Indians 
who often killed more deer than they could dispose of. I have 
known them give a quarter of venison for a loaf of bread. Fea 
thered game was so plentiful that powder and shot would not be 
wasted on any bird less than a partridge. Wolves in this tract 
of country were very numerous and for many years were a terror 
to the settlers, frequently killing their sheep and cattle, and put 
ting them in dread of their own lives. I have heard of two in 
stances of them attacking and killing travellers in this vicinity. 
In the fall of the year their dreadful howlings could be heard night 



PIONEER PAPERS. 19 



and day. I have heard his Honor Judge Boys relate that when 
he was a boy on a visit to his brother Henry, ex-County Treasurer, 
then residing at the Midhurst Mills, that the howling of the 
wolves while he was in bed appeared so close to the house and 
was so frightful that he dared not go to sleep. 

Another danger which the settler had to dread was getting 
lost in the bush. It was a very serious matter at that time to 
find oneself astray in a wilderness extending to Lake Huron. I 
knew of one instance of a man who had started out from one set 
tlement to the next, through the bush for a short cut, not far 
away who was never seen or heard of again. It was a very easy 
matter to get lost, one had only to step off the road into the bush 
and turn round a time or two, and, unless he had the bump of 
locality pretty largely developed, he was lost. I will give you an 
instance. Two young men were cutting poles a few rods from the 
travelled road and started for the road with poles on their shoul 
ders, but instead of coming to the road as they expected found 
themselves bewildered and lost, and were hours before they made 
their way out, miles away from their starting point, and only for 
their good fortune in coming across a creek and following its 
course which led them to a settler s clearing, they might have had 
a sad experience. 

I had a not very pleasant experience myself of being lost in 
the bush: 

In the year 1843 tne country lying between Lake Simcoe and 
the Nottawasaga Bay, with the exception of two small settle 
ments in Vespra, was an unbroken wilderness, inhabited only by 
wild animals. The lumberman had not yet found his way into 
it to strip it of its noble pine and oak trees with which the 
greater part of it was covered. 

To the white man it was an unknown and unexplored land 
almost as much so as the then Great Lone Land" of the North 
west. 

The dense swamps and thickly timbered pine woods of this 
great valley of the Nottawasaga, which is now a fertile country 
covered with hundreds of homesteads, harbored wolves and other 
savage animals which roamed through its fastnesses seeking their 
prey unmolested, which made it dangerous for one, unless well 
armed, to venture into it and still more dangerous that he might 
get lost in its labyrinths. 

I, along with a friend, in the fall of the year mentioned, just 
when the trees had got their autumn tints, left our homes not far 



20 PIONEER PAPERS. 



from Barrie, for a stroll into the bush, without any particular 
end in view, unless it was to see nature in its pristine grandeur. 
We were just out from the Old Country, and knew nothing of 
bush life ; everything we saw was a novelty to us. We carried 
no weapons with us, and, being cautioned, had no intention of 
leaving the blazed line on which we were travelling ; but both of 
us being enthusiastic lovers of nature and amateur botanists, 
and finding something new to admire and wonder at, at nearly 
every step we took, it was little wonder that we lost the track of 
the blazed trees which had guided us out, and which we depended 
on to guide us home again. But lost them we had, nor could we 
get trace of them again, the more we searched the more bewilder 
ed we became. Our enthusiasm for the wonders of the bush was 
gone. 

We were Lost in the Bush." After travelling for some 
time, to make matters worse we got into a cedar swamp so dense 
that we could scarcely see a rod before us. After tramping about 
for hours to no purpose and most likely getting farther away 
from home, we came to the conclusion that we had to pass the 
night, which was now fast closing upon us, in the bush, and hope 
for better luck to get out of it the next morning. A search would 
be made for us by our friends and by travelling we were only 
making it harder for them to find us. 

We commenced at once to prepare for the night. We were 
fatigued and hungry; our hunger we could not satisfy, but we 
could rest, at least we hoped so. We made a bed of cedar boughs 
which we found no trouble in breaking off the trees, and were 
congratulating ourselves on the good night s rest we were about to 
get, providing no wild animals molested us, when we heard a dis 
tant rumble of thunder, which made us quake, for we were lightly 
dressed in summer clothing and not at all prepared for rough 
weather. However, the thunder came on, each clap nearer to 
us, soon accompanied with heavy rain which wet us through and 
made our bed useless. 

During that long night we had to stand in a pitiless rain 
storm worn out with hunger and fatigue, without shelter, only 
such as the dropping trees gave us, and that was not all. Just 
as darkness came on, between the claps of thunder we heard the 
howlings of a pack of wolves apparently not a mile distant. 
What were we to do? Fly we could not ; we could only wait and 
Tremble. Of course sleep or even lying down was out of the 
H uestion. Every hour seemed to us an age. At different times 
in the night we heard the tramp of some animals among the 



PIONEER PAPERS. 21 



bushes and expected the wolves down upon us every minute, but 
we were not molested. 

That long night at last came to an end. The dawn of morn 
ing was never more welcomed than by us. Drenched with rain , 
faint with hunger and tired out we commenced our tramp to try 
and find our way out. After travelling for hours through 
swamps and over wind-falls and apparently getting farther into 
the labyrinths of the bush, oh, joy! we heard the report of a gun 
at a great distance away in the opposite direction to that we were 
tramping in. We at once faced about and quickened our steps 
for the direction the sound came from ; more shots and the sound 
of horns blowing gladdened our ears. We were sure now that 
our friends were looking for us and that our trouble was over. 
Shortly we heard the shouts of our friends which we answered 
with a will. We forgot all about our wretched condition. We 
were found. 

Our friends welcomed us as though we had risen from the 
dead. 

We had travelled a good many miles, and the wonder was 
that we had not a more serious experience of being lost in the 
bush. A party of a dozen or more men of the settlement had 
been out all night firing off guns and blowing horns but we were 
too far away to hear them. On our way home we found that the 
wolves had run down a cow, killed and partly eaten it. Old 
settlers told us only for the cow we would have been doomed 
men. 

There is a good deal of agitation just now about the necessity 
of improving our bad roads. Can you imagine what kind of 
roads we had fifty years ago? Just paths winding in and out 
among the trees and if one happened to get off them he might 
have some trouble in finding his way on to them again. A 
clergyman, then residing in Barrie, now Archdeacon of Meath, 
in Ireland, (Rev. Garrett Nugent) was called upon to go to a 
settler s in the bush to marry a couple. Cn his way to the place 
he unwarily allowed his horse to get off the path ; he dismounted, 
tied his horse to a tree, went himself in search of the road, and 
after some time found it, but in doing so lost his horse, which af 
ter searching for a long time he failed to find. Some of the sett 
lers turned out and found it for him while he performed the 
marriage ceremony. 

Churches there were none, schools there were none and doc 
tors there were none and very little sickness to need them. It 
was a very rare thing to see a newspaper. The doings of the out- 



22 PIONEEH PAPERS. 



side world were unknown and uncared for. In fact the settlers 
were almost as much buried alive as the exiles of Siberia. 

After all said there were two sides to pioneer life. Hardships 
there were undoubtedly plenty; but there was a bright side also. 
If privations were many, wants were few and comforts were not 
altogether lacking. Ask any old pioneer, no matter how much 
riches he has made out of his cleared up farm, or how fine a house 
he has built to reside in, and he will tell you that the happiest 
days of his life were when he lived in his comfortable log shanty 
and was chopping, logging and clearing his land. 

I might go on and tell you something about the logging bees, 
house raisings, corn huskings, quilting bees, and whiskey drink- 
ings of those good old times. 

Yes, wiskey drinkings. At all gatherings, marriages and 
funerals included, it was served out without stint. A wiskey 
bos" would be appointed whose duty it was to take charge of the 
liquor, hand it around and see that every one was supplied and, as 
might be expected ,a quarrel and fight frequently ended these 
orgies. In the family the jar of whiskey was considered almost 
as much a necessity as the loaf of bread. It was very convenient 
to be got at here. At Midhurst on the site where now stands the 
Barrie Electric Light Company s works stood "Olliver s Mills," 
grist mill, saw mill and distillery. These mills when first built, 
sometime early in the 2o s, and for a good many years later sup 
plied the surrounding country with their products and a very 
busy, and sometimes not very orderly, place it was. The mills 
were built by Mairs Bros, and Olliver. Government granted 
them a tract of land 400 acres on condition of them building 
and running the mills. The mills were worked by Olliver until 
1841, when Mr. Henry Boys came into possession and were held 
by him and his tenant, Mr. Lawlor, until 1852. During their 
time the distillery was worked and whiskey sold at 250. a gallon, 
and bought by the settlers in 5 and 10 gallon quantities and some 
times by the barrel. Was it any wonder if drunkenness was rife ? 
It was not then considered a disgrace to be the worse of liquor. 
The distillery was abandoned in 1851 and the mills burnt down in 
1887. 

Before closing these rambling reminiscences, which I am sure 
you must be tired of listening to, I will give you a few notes I 
have taken of the vagaries of the weather: In 1842 snow fell on 
yth Nov. and continued snowing until at Christmas it was four 
feet deep on the level ; by the end of the winter, the middle of 
April, six feet deep. A good deal of damage by floods followed. 



PIONEER PAPERS. 23 



In July 56 fall wheat was destroyed by frost. On 6th June, 81 , 
frost killed all the garden stuff, and injured the grain in the fields: 
same year, Aug. 3oth, the mercury reached 102 in the shade, 
and on Sept. ist rain fell after a drought of 25 days. Vegetation 
was completely dried out and cattle were starving; a great deal 
of damage was done by fires. On 24th Jan., 82, the mercury 
went down to 30 below zero. The summer of that year was 
noted for its coldness, on July 4th the mercury stood at 50 ; 
on 1 2th Aug. heavy frost; Jan. 25th, 84, the mercury went down 
to 32 below zero, the lowest I have known it to be. 

Supplementary Note. 

Since closing my paper I have received a note from a friend 
stating that Judge Ardagh in his paper read at your last meeting 
was in error in stating that Oro, in the person of Mr. Steele, had 
the credit of first sending a member to Parliament: That Vespra 
has a better claim to the honor, Mr. James Wickens, a farmer of 
Vespra, being elected to Parliament some years previous to Mr. 
Steele s election. 

If I am correct, Mr. Wickens was elected to the Parliament 
of Upper Canada in 1836, and Mr. Steele to the first Parliament 
of United Canada in 1841. Probably what His Honor said and 
meant was that Mr. Steele was the first member sent from Simcoe 
to the Parliament of United Canada. 

I have also been requested, as a favor, by a gentleman of 
Barrie, to read the accompanying lines with my paper, which I 
have very much pleasure in doing. 

The gentleman informs me that they were written about the 
time of Confederation, by a friend of his who has resided and 
occupied an exalted position in our county for about forty years. 
He states that he is not at liberty to make known the author s 
name. 

Here are the lines which I am sure will be listened to with a 
good deal of pleasure: 

List to a yeoman farmer, Bluff Tom or Plain Tom Mairs: 
I settled up in Vespra, the haunt of wolves and bears, 
Since then some forty summers and winters too I ve seen, 
And things so strangely altered I sometimes think I dream; 
But then my breeches pocket, unlike my stomach stout, 
Says Tommy, mon, thou did it, thou brought the thing about. 



24 PIONEER PAPERS. 



Instead of partridge drumming, I now hear cattle low, 
And sheep flocks bleating softly as they lick up the snow; 
Instead of bye paths winding by forest and by dells, 
Good graded ro^ds are travelled to music of horse bells. 
And right good horses surely, well bred and strong and stout, 
And Tommy, mon, thou did it, thou brought the thing about. 

Go ask of Butcher Bingham, whence comes the marbled beef? 

And whence the juicy mutton? the veal so fat in brief, 

Just ask him, could he nourish a stomach well in town 

If I had not imported good Durham and Southdown? 

May I be lank as Yankee, stall fed on saurkraut, 

If he don t say Mairs did it, he brought the thing about. 

I ve spent some English guineas, as British yeomen should, 
And stock of all kinds bettered importing and by food ; 
I m not you know much richer, yet proud I ve done my best 
As all should do who follow when I am gone to rest. 
And now I am contented to hear kind hearts cry out: 
Twas Bluff Tom Mairs that did it, he brought the thing about. 

God bless you, brother farmers, God bless you kind friends all, 
Your wives, your lads and lassies, aye bless you one and all, 
And bless dear, dear old England, the England of my day 
And bless our new Dominion in field and every way, 
All bless the Queen we honor, stand as your sires have stood. 
Stand by the flag of England, ye men of British blood 




JUDGE JOHN A. ARDAGH 
(BoK\- ls:(."j; Dim) JANTAKV L tim. 1915) 



PIONEER PAPERS. 25 



SOME REMINISCENCES. 

(Apr. 22, 1892.) 

By His Honor Judge Ardagh. 



When I consented to read a paper before the Pioneer and 
Historical Society" of this County, I, rather unadvisedly per 
haps stated that my subject would be "Some reminiscences of 
the County of Simcoe and the Town of Barrie." 

My actual reminiscences in connection with this subject 
would be of very little value, as I am not yet entitled to be styled 
the "oldest inhabitant," and consequently there are others 
amongst us, whose recollections, going back a much longer period 
of time than mine, would cover far more ground and prove much 
more interesting. 

What I give you will be mere DISJECTA MEMBRA some 
MEMORANDA, some not, perhaps which may prove helpful to 
the future historian of this county, when preparing a work, which, 
I have no doubt, will take its place among the annals of Canada. 

For many years past I have been in the habit of briefly 
jotting down not only facts I thought worthy of being noted, but 
also odds and ends" of information coming to me, either from 
the lips of others, or from sources I had access to either in print 
or MS., and which at the time I thought worthy of being pre 
served and it will be observed that I do not undertake to go 
back to a time much prior to that when I was able to make ob 
servations for myself. 

To shew how usefu such a practice may be, let me remind 
you, (PARVA COMPONERE MAGNis), of the well known story of 
Marco Sanudo, the Venetian chronicler, who at the early age of 
eight began to note down circumstances in connection with his 
native place, which at the time perhaps seemed trifling and hard 
ly worthy of being recorded. This practice he continued for up 
wards of fifty years, and left behind him some fifty-six volumes 
of his diary, chiefly of public events, a record day by day of 



26 PIONEER PAPERS. 



"all the news that came to Venice and all that happened there." 
These volumes he left by will to the State: but nothing was 
known of them till the year 1805 (some two hundred and seventy 
years after his death) when, strange to say, they were discovered 
in the Royal library of Vienna. Those portions given to the 
world are said to afford "to the careful student an almost unex 
ampled guide and assistance to the understanding of the years 
between 1482 and 1533," and to be "a mine of incalculable 
historical wealth." 

To come to our subject, however. And first, a few words 
as to the territory of our County. There is no other County in 
the Province which has experienced such changes in that way, 
as ours. 

As originally established in the 38th year of George III., 
with the amendment of 2nd George IV., it consisted of the town 
ships which now form part of it, the townships of Proton, Luther, 
Melancthon and Amaranth (now parts of the Counties of Duff- 
erin, Grey and Wellington), and the townships of Rama, Thorah 
and Mara on the east side of the lake. 

In the early part of the century the County of Simcoe formed 
part of the District of "Durham, Simcoe and East York," and 
later on, a part of the Home District, but had no separate judicial 
or municipal organisation. 

In the year 1837, by Chapter 32 of 7 Wm. 4th, by reason of 
the increase of the population, and the great distance from the 
district town (Toronto), authority was given to the Governor- 
in-Council "to declare by Proclamation the County of Simcoe to 
be a separate and distinct District by the name of the District of 
Simcoe," as soon as a good and sufficient gaol and court house 
had been erected ; and by this Act the limits of the county were 
defined to be exactly what we have at present, with Mono and 
Mulmur, (which then belonged to us). 

For the erection of the Gaol and Court-House, authority was 
given thenew District to raise the sum of 4,000 pounds ($16,000). 
The year following, by i Viet., c. 39, authority was given to levy 
an additional tax, not exceeding id. in the pound, until the 
4,000 pounds should be paid. This amount proving insufficient for 
the purpose, another act was passed in 1841, (4 and 5 Viet. 0.78) 
authorising the raising of a further sumof3,ooo pounds ($12,000), 
making a total of $28,000 a very large sum, it appears to me, 
for the purpose, when it is remembered that the Court House, as 
originally built, was only about one-half the size of the present 



PIONEER PAPBES. 27 



It was not till the year 1843 that the organisation of the 
District was completed, and public officials appointed. 

The first officials of the new District were: James R. Gowan 
(now Senator), Judge. 

B. W. Smith, Sheriff 

Jonathan Lane, Clerk of the District Court. 

W. B. McVity, Clerk of the Peace. 

H. H. Gowan, Deputy Clerk of the Crown. 

John Alexander, Crown Lands Agent. 

Capt. J. Moberly, Inspector of Licenses. 

Edmund S. Lally, County Treasurer. 

George Lount, Registrar. 

Of these, not one survives but Senator Gowan. 

Of the fifty-five persons associated with Judge Gowan in the 
first Commission of the Peace, (issued on the 8th July, 1843), 
not one is now (so far as I am aware) alive and resident of the 
County, but the ex-Judge himself. 

In 1845 (by 8 Vic. c. 7) the townships of Artemesia, Colling- 
wood, Osprey, St. Vincent and Euphrasia, (now part of the 
County of Grey), were added to Simcoe. 

On the ist of January, 1850, COUNTIES were substituted for 
DISTRICTS, and the limits of each defined no change, however, 
being made with respect to Simcoe, which remained as defined 
in 1845. 12V. C. 78. 

On the ist of January, 1852, a new territorial division came 
into force. From Simcoe, the five townships added in 1845 were 
now detached, while 3 new ones were added, Balaklava, Musko- 
ka and Robinson (the latter afterwards, in 1860, as having been 
an error, was changed to Morrison, its present name, after Angus 
Morrison, one of our then County members); and also all the 
territory now composing the Districts of Parry Sound and Mus- 
koka, stretching as far north as French River and Lake Nipissing 
(now divided into nearly 70 townships). 

In 1868 (by 31 Viet. chap. 35) the territorial District of 
Muskoka was organized, and the Townships of Morrison and 
Muskoka, with other territory, were detached from the County of 
Simcoe. A stipendiary Magistrate, Justices of the Peace, and a 
Registrar of deeds, were appointed for the new District, but for 
all municipal purposes, representation in the Legislative Assemb 
ly, and for the administration of civil and criminal Justice in all 



28 PIONEER PAPERS. 



cases not provided for, these townships and other territory were 
to remain as before. 

In 1869, a similar act (33 Viet., Chap. 24) was passed for the 
organization of the District of Parry Sound. 

In 1877, it was specially enacted, (as indeed w r as necessary,) 
that except for the purposes provided for (in the two last named 
acts), "So much of the territory comprising the said districts as is 
not already included in the Judicial County of Simcoe, is hereby 
annexed to and shall form part of the said Judicial County of 
Simcoe." 

By this statute the provisions of the "Division Courts Act" 
were extended to these districts. 

In 1884, (by 47 V. c. 3), the district of Muskoka was de 
clared to consist of 22 Townships, as therein named, and Parry 
Sound of double that number; and both together were constitut 
ed the Electoral District of Muskoka and Parry Sound. Up to 
the first day of July, 1888, these Districts formed part of the Ju 
dicial District of Simcoe, but on that date they were erected into 
The United Provisional Judicial District of Muskoka and Parry 
Sound," with all the machinery for the administration of justice, 
independent of this County. 

While these changes had been going on, we lost a part of our 
territory, in the opposite direction, by the establishment of the 
County of Dufferin. In 1874, an act of the Provincial Legisla 
ture was passed defining the limits of the new county, the Town 
ships of Mono and Mulmur being taken from the County of Sim 
coe. 

Nothing further was done, however, in the matter till 1880, 
when another Act was passed, providing for the appointment of 
a Judge and other officials, as soon as the Proclamation declaring 
the erection of the new county should issue. 

This Proclamation was duly made on the 25th day of Janu 
ary, 1881, and thereafter Mono and Mulmur ceased to form part 
of this county either for judicial or municipal purposes. 

If I have appeared somewhat diffuse on th s point, it is be 
cause I wish to trace out, for the information of those who may 
be interested in it, the various additions and subtractions by 
which we became what we now are, as a County, territorially. 

I must, however, say a few words as to how we are situated 
for representation, for this must, for the most part, be understood 
by anyone wishing to trace out our growth in population. 



PIONEER PAPERS. 29 



For the Dominion, there are three ridings, North, South, 
and East; for the Local Legislature there are also three East, 
West, and Centre: but for the former, the East Riding includes 
the townships of Muskoka, Medora, Wood and Monck, and the 
town of Gravenhurst, which for all other purposes belong to 
Muskoka. 

The South Riding for the Dominion consists of Mulmur, 
Tossorontio, Essa, Innisfil, and Tecumseh. Of these, Mulmur 
belongs to the County of Dufferin; Tossorontio and Essa form 
part of the west Riding of Simcoe for the Provincial Legislature, 
while Innisfil and Tecumseh belong to Cardwell in the same 
Legislature. 

The township of Adjala belongs to Cardwell both for the 
Dominion and Local; and, last of all, West Gwillimbury, while 
belonging to Simcoe for municipal and judicial purposes, belongs 
to North York for Dominion Representation, and to Cardwell 
for the Local Legislature. 

To the above I will merely add that up to the year 1853, Sim 
coe was represented by one member only, in the Parliament of 
Canada, of whom Capt. Elmes Steele, father of John C. Steele, 
D. C. Clerk at Coldwater, was the first within my recollection. 
After him came the late Hon. Wm. B. Robinson, who represented 
Simcoe till the two ridings were created in 1853, after which he 
was returned as member for the South Riding, and the late An 
gus Morrison for the North. 

It would be interesting to trace out the - ncrease in the popu 
lation in our County since its separation from the Home District, 
but owing to the peculiar way our Ridings are constituted (as 
shown above) , a rather difficult task. 

The last census (1891) g ves to the North Riding a popula 
tion of 28,206, to the South 28,827, and to the East Riding, 35,- 
801, making a total of 84,834. From this total must be taken 
what belongs to Muskoka in the East Riding, and must be added 
what has been taken away in the South for other ridings. 

I do not, therefore, profess to trace out our increase, but 
having a few figures at hand, I give them for the benefit of any 
one wishing to undertake the task. 

In 1842 (which I may here say was the year I first saw 
Canada,) the population of the Home District, which included 
the County of Simcoe, was given at 64,401, for the previous 
year, while the census of that year (1842) shewed 83.924, an in 
crease in one year of 18,893. The only records I have seen, prior 



30 PIOKEER PAPERS. 



to 1842 give Simcoe s population as 3,985 in 1832; 10,215 in 
1836; 10,743 in 1839 (an increase of a little over 530 in three 
years, owing, no doubt, to the Rebellion, as it is called), and 
11,576 in 1841. 

In 1848 the population of the District of Simcoe was 23,050, 
and in 1850, 25,753, an increase in two years of 2,703. 

Barrie was uncorporated up to the ist of January, 1854. 
Its population in 1850, was 686; in 1851 about 800; in 1852, 
1007 Its population by the last census (1891) was 5,550, an 
increase of only 700 in 10 years. 

This year (1892) our County Council is composed of 54 mem 
bers in the year 1850, it had only 13 members. West Gwillim- 
bury and Tecumseh alone had a deputy-reeve, while Vespra, 
Flos and Sunnidale, (which included Barrie, then unincorporated) 
had only one representative, their united population being only 
1,883. 

The County of Simcoe has the honour of being the objective 
point of almost the first railway in Canada. 

In 1835, an act was passed (U. C. 6 William 4th, Chap. 5) 
entitled "An act to incorporate the City of Toronto and Lake 
Huron Rail Road Company but nothing appears to have been 
done under it. In 1845, another act (8 V.ict. C. 83) was passed 
empowering the company to construct in lieu of or in addition to 
any RAILROAD, a planked, Macadamised or blocked road. 

No further step in this direction was taken till the year 1849, 
when another act (12 Viet. C. 196) was passed incorporating 
the Toronto, Simcoe and Lake Huron Union Railroad Company 
for the construction of a railroad from Toronto to Lake Huron, 
touching at the Town of Barrie, or at some point or points on the 
shore of Lake Simcoe. Under this act, no step was taken for 
several years, though the charter was kept alive by subsequent 
amending acts. 

The first locomotive that entered our county was the 
"Lady Elgin," after crossing the Holland River, on the i3th of 
June, 1853. For some time subsequent to this, however, pas 
senger trains for Toronto started from the Holland Landing, 
leaving that place at 8 A.M. This made it a little inconvenient 
for those who found it necessary to go to Toronto and return the 
same day (a feat before that time impracticable, no matter how 
necessary) and I well remember, how, having to do this, I was 
compelled to ride from Barrie to the Landing before breakfast 
to catch the train. Passengers from Toronto could take the 



PIONEER PAPERS. 31 



steamer from Bradford wharf for Barr e on the arrival of the 
train, and this I was able to do, without having to repeat the 
morning s ride. 

The line to Allandale was open for passenger travel on the 
nth of October the same year, and to Collingwood by the end 
of the following year, the first regular train arriving there on 3rd 
January, 1855. 

I have now before me the first time-table for the whole road, 
dated Toronto, December 30, 1854, and signed by A. Brunei, the 
first superintendent. 

The hours for leaving Toronto were 8.30 A.M. and 3.30 P.M., 
arriving at Barrie at 11.30 A.M., and 6.30 P.M. The first of these 
only ran to Collingwood, arriving there at 1.30 P.M. and leaving 
the following morning at 5 o clock. Trains for Toronto left Bar 
rie at 7 A.M. and 2.30 P.M., arriving there at 9.45 A.M. and 5.35 

P.M. 

In 1853, the company obtained an act authorising a branch 
line into Barrie from Allandale. But it was not till after end^ss 
suits between the town and company, backed up finally by an 
Act of Pariament, that the famous Barrie Switch" became 
UN FAIT ACCOMPLI. Its opening was celebrated by a grand ban 
quet and celebration, on the 2ist of June, 1865. 

Thus for nearly twelve years, passengers for Barrie had to 
leave the train at Allandale, summer and winter, wet or dry, and 
with their luggage and other IMPEDIMENTA take a crowded and 
not overclean bus to complete their journey, unless they were 
fortunate enough to have a private conveyance awaiting them. 

In November, 1871, the main line was completed to Orillia, 
a cause of great satisfaction to me, as in my last WINTER S drive, 
in February of that year, I had been eleven hours on the read. 
On the 3ist December, 1877, the Hamilton and North-Western 
road was opened to Barrie; on the loth of February, 1879, the 
North Simcoe branch was opened to Penetanguishene, and lastly, 
on the 28th of June, 1886, the first regular train from Toronto 
for British Columbia passed through the town of Barrie. 

Two other dates I have one the 3oth of July 1879, when 
the Northern railway having ABSORBED the Hamilton and North- 
Western Railway, trains on both lines began to run to and from 
the one station here. The other, the 9th July, 1881, when the 
change of gauge on the line was completed. 

Taking all these lines together ,we have now about 230 miles 
of railway WITHIN the limits of our county. 



32 PIQNEER PAPERS. 



Only those who had occasion to travel much before these 
railways were constructed, can appreciate the inestimable boon 
they w r ere. 

For many years my predecessor, Senator (then Judge) 
Gowan, had not only to travel over the county as it is new con 
stituted, but also to hold his courts in the township of St. Vin 
cent, many miles beyond Collingwood, without the help of a 
single mile of railway. And even after I took up the work, 20 
years ago, I had for a long period 1200 miles of driving every 
year (besides railway travel), two of my courts being 85 miles 
apart. 

As to the general public, who had not the luxury of a private 
conveyance, let us see how they were served by the public coaches 
carrying the ma Is. 

As late as 1848, the Northern mail was as follows: A pas 
senger coach left Toronto every afternoon at 3 o clock and ar 
rived at Holland Landing, a distance of 34 miles, at 8 p.m., (I 
can remember being on this road once till 2 o clock the next 
morning, but that was in the fall of the year). Arriving at Hol 
land Landing, after his (AT LEAST) 5 hours ride, the passenger, 
at 9 P.M. (provided it was Monday, Wednesday or Friday) 
stepped into another coach, for a further drive of 26 miles to 
Barrie, where he arrived when he "got there," not ALWAYS 
a very long time before dawn. Here the luxury of a coach came 
to an end, and if there happened to be a passenger for Penetang- 
uishene, he had either to mount behind the mail carrier, though 
I never heard of anyone doing so or, get there the best way he 
could. The carrier was supposed to arrive at 3 p. m., and often 
did so unless he w r as WOLF-BOUND (wolves were plentiful in those 
days). He had then till 5 o clock the following morning, for 
"rest and refreshments," ere he mounted his horse again for the 
return journey. 

It was said that on the stage-line from th s to Bradford, you 
could travel either ist, 2nd or 3rd class. If FIRST, you could 
keep your seat the whole way, provided the coach did not turn 
over. If SECOND-class, you were expected to get out and walk 
whenever the road was bad but if 3rd class, you were obliged 
not only to walk past the bad spots but to help with a fence rail, 
whenever a mud hole insisted on holding the coach fast. 

Though in later years the road to Orillia permitted a stage 
coach, yet in those days the mail for that place was carried on 
horse-back, leaving Barrie at 6 a.m. on Tuesdays, Thursdays 
and Saturdays, and arriving at Orillia at 3 p.m. the distance 



PIONEER PAPERS. 33 



being called 24 miles. Every Thursday, a mail-carrier left Barrie 
on horseback for Nottawasaga (there was no COLLINGWOOD then) 
36 miles, and thence on to Owen Sound, 95 miles from Barrie. 

Of course in summer time, then, you could reach Barrie and 
Orillia by the old BEAVER, which left Bradford in the morning to 
make the circuit of the lake, returning thither the following 
day. From Orillia a stage took the passengers for the upper 
lakes across to Sturgeon Bay, whence the steamer GORE set out 
for Sault Ste. Marie and other ports. 

We did not seem, however, to be much worse off in winter 
than our neighbours to the South. If one of THEM wished to go 
to Montreal, he had to leave Toronto by stage at 6 p.m., arriving 
at Kingston (165 miles) at 2 o clock the second morning there 
after. He could then sleep till evening, when at 6 o clock he 
left for Montreal, arriving there if everything went well, at 8 
o clock, the second morning thereafter, 200 miles. 

To reach Quebec, he would leave Montreal at 5 p.m. and ar 
rive at 5 o clock on the second morning thereafter. 

Following this out, it will be seen that if a person had left Barrie 
in those days for Quebec on a Monday afternoon, he would arrive 
there (a distance of over 600 miles) on the following Monday at 
5 a. m., if no delays occurred. If he wished to return NOW, he 
would leave Quebec at 2 o clock yesterday afternoon and be here 
at 11.30 to-day. 

Talking of the mail routes suggests a comparison of the Postal 
service with what we now have. THEN, one mail a day south. 
For a letter to Quebec THEN, time one week, postage i 6 (or 
3oc.) NOW, time under 22 hours, postage 3C. Postage then 
was regulated by distance. To Toronto it was 4^ d., (8 cents) ; 
over the 60 up to 100 miles, yd; to 200 miles 9 d., and so on. 

Letters redirected were, then, rated afresh for the further 
distance, while now a letter can follow you all over the Do 
minion for the 3 cents originally paid. In the year 1846 we had 
12 P. O. s in this county, where we now have over 130. 

S. M. Sanford (father of our County Treasurer) was Barrie s 
first postmaster, and was succeeded by John McWatt. As HE 
may be met any day on our streets, it would be well worth while 
to get his reminiscences. 

There is no doubt that the construction of the N.R.R. was 
of great benefit to our county, costly though it was in the first in 
stance. 

An authoritative statement was once given, shewing that 



34: PIONEER PAPERS. 



while the average assessed value of land in 9 townships through 
which the road passed, was only i pound ios. ($6.00) before 
its construction, yet in 1856, this value had risen to 9 pounds 
($36.00), of which increase, 6 pounds was due to the railroad 
and i pound ios. to other causes. 

This may or may not be a correct estimate, because it must 
be borne in mind that during some of the years previous to 
this (in the beginning of the forties") land was assessed either 
as ARABLE or MEADOW, or as UNCULTIVATED. If the former, the 
arbitrary value (for assessment) was i pound, or $4 an acre; 
if uncultivated, only 43., or 80 cts. 

As, however, the value before the N.R.R. was constructed is 
given as i pound ios. (that is an increase of 50%), either the fixed 
value was raised, or the assessor was left at liberty to value as he 
thought fit. I never took the trouble to look into the matter or 
to verify the correctness of the above statement. 

At the same time that a fixed value for assessment of land 
was established, houses were assessed according to the number of 
storeys that composed them, and the number of fire places they 
contained. While horses (3 yrs. old and upwards) were as 
signed a value of 8 pounds; oxen, 4 years old and upwards, 4 
pounds each; milch cow , i pound each, and so on. 



In summer we had, as I have said, the steamers to travel by, 
to Bradford and Orillia and as to steamers on lake Simcoe, 
I find the following mem.: 

The first steamer on the lake was the SIR JOHN COLBORNE 
built in 1833, which, however, drew too much water to pass 
through the Narrows" into Lake Couchiching. 

In 1834, the PETER ROBINSON was built. Subsequently 
she was hauled out and repaired, and in 1839 was launched again 
under the name of the SIMCOE. 

My first trip in her was from the Holland Land ng in Octo 
ber, 1842, when Capt. Laughton (father of Mrs. Dr. Morton) 
commanded her, with Hugh McKay as mate, the oldest sailor 
on the lake, and from whom I derived some of my material on 
this head. He informed me, among other things, that in 1838 
there was a horse-boat on the lake, but she was found not to 
answer. 

In 1845 the BEAVER took the place of the SIMCOE. On the 



PIONEER PAPERS. 35 



27th of April, 1853, the MORNING commenced running from Bar- 
rie. On 3oth June, 1855, the beauti.ul steamer J. C. MORRISON 
made her trial trip between Bell Ewart and Orillia, (by which 
route passengers for Orillia were carried in summer) , but did not 
make her first trip to Barrie till August 6th. Almost to a day, 
two years afterwards (on August 4th), she was burned to the 
water s edge at her dock here. 

On the 1 2th of July, 1861, the EMILY MAY began running, 
and continued till the completion of the railway to Orillia, when, 
her occupation being gone, she was soon after left to the opera 
tion of the dry-rot at Bell Ewart. 

The IDA BURTON was the last passenger boat that plied on 
the lake between Barrie and Orillia, beginning in the latter part 
of the "sixties" and continuing till "elbowed out" by the railway. 

A word as to the Press. I well remember when Mr. Thomas 
Fox Davies, now one of the staff of the EXAMINER (where he is as 
apt as ever at setting up), brought out the Barrie MAGNET, the 
first paper published here; as I used often to watch the type 
setting in his office, then something new to me. I have now 
before me the first number. Though dated Aug. 6th, 1847, it 
was not issued (as itself states) till Aug. i3th. Though I have a 
number dated yth January, 1847, I have reason to believe this 
was due to the typo forgetting to change the year as well as the 
month and day. 

Since then we have had the NORTHERN ADVANCE, still in 
existence, and fresh and vigorous after some 40 years of life; 
next the HERALD, which was started in 1852 by Mr. J. W. Young, 
and afterward continued by the Hon. James Patton. It, as well 
as its successor, the SPIRIT OF THE AGE, have long passed out of 
sight. 

About the year 1864 the EXAMINER appeared on the scene, 
and is still "to the fore" under the management of our worthy 
secretary, Mr. Andrew F. Hunter. 

About 1868 the GAZETTE was started by Messrs. Richardson 
& Mann, (though now published by Mr. N. King) and has since 
made a worthy third to our other two Barrie "weeklies." An 
effort was made at one time to issue it as a daily," but failed 
as might be expected, in a place where we have half a dozen Tor 
onto dailies distributed before noon every day. 

I must not omit to mention that the LAW JOURNAL, the fore 
most legal paper in this Province, now printed and published in 
Toronto, made its DEBUT in Barrie in the year 1855, edited by 



36 PIONEER PAPERS. 



James Patton "and others," the chief "other" being, it was 
well known, Senator (then Judge) Gowan, whose able articles, 
chiefly in elucidation and promotion of the D.C. System, brought 
the paper up to the standard which it has since enjoyed. The 
and volume was continued in Barrie under the editorship of 
W. D. Ardagh, now Judge at Winnipeg. The 3rd vol., however, 
was begun after the removal to Toronto, where Mr. Ardagh as 
sociated with him, as joint editor, Robert A. Harrison, after 
wards Chief Justice. Its present editor, there, is Mr. Henry 
O Brien, an old Simcoe boy. 

We have also newspapers published in almost every village 
as well as town in our county, so that it is no wonder that Sim 
coe stands as one of the foremost in freedom from crime ; for vice 
and ignorance ever retreat before the advancement of the Press, 
with its civilizing and enlightening tendencies. 

Being an old Barrie Grammar School boy, it is only fitting 
that I should say a few words about it. It was established in 
1843, (when DISTRICT school was its title), and by the Act setting 
apart the District an annual grant of i oo pounds was made towards 
its support. Frederick Gore was its first head master, under 
whose care I was placed in the following year. The school was 
then held in the most easterly room of the Court house on the 
ground floor that now occupied by Colonel Banting, the County 
Clerk. Mr. Gore lived at that time in a long, low white house 
somewhere between Major Roger s residence and Mary street. 
The cellar of the house next the Simcoe brewery, now owned by 
Mr. Geo. Cook, was being then dug by John Pearson, a car 
penter, who built the house by degrees and into it, when com 
pleted, Mr. Gore moved with his boarders. This was the second 
brick house in the town at that time, the other being a PART of 
the house now owned and occupied by Mr. Harper. These two 
houses, with a small shanty in which a family named Perry lived, 
(between them and the town) and another further north in the, 
then, bush, occupied by Timothy Haggart, were the only houses 
between that where Mr. Johnson, the coal merchant, lives, and 
the township of Innisfil, with the exception of two or three 
block" or "pepper box" ones standing where Allandale now is 
but unoccupied as early as 1844. 

In the year 1849 the new Grammar school (as its title then 
was) on Blake St., in the rear of the present Collegiate Institute, 
was completed, and into it the school moved after the midsum 
mer vacation, while Mr. Gore, with his borders, leaving Mary 
st., took up their quarters in the new house he had built close 
by that now occupied by the widow of the late Sheriff Smith. 



PIONEER PAPEKS. 37 



The second masters of the school, while I was there, were, in 
succession, Robert F. Hutchins, P. A. Smith, John Bowker, and 
Robert C. Stuart. 

Among the pupils in my time were Geo. Moberly, (now of 
Collingwood, Barrister); Walter, his brother, now a Civil Engi 
neer in Manitoba; Harry, another brother, a factor in the Hud 
son s Bay Company; Samuel Lane, late Judge of Grey; John 
Creasor, his successor, in that position; Mr. Justice Osier, B. B. 
Osier, Q. C. ; Judge Dean, of Lindsay, and W. H. Carney, now 
Sheriff of Algoma, whose father then kept the "Plough Inn," on 
Dunlop st. 

As to the Head Masters of the school, I think that Mr. Gore 
was succeeded by the late Rev. W. F. Checkly, and he by the 
Rev. Mr. Johnson. Mr. Spotton then took charge, and during 
his long incumbency the school attained a very high degree of 
efficiency and was raised to the rank of a Collegiate Institute. 
Upon Mr. Spotton s promotion (I may call it) to a similar posi 
tion in Toronto, the present Principal, Mr. J. M. Hunter, took 
charge, and under his management everything in connection 
with the Institute continues to advance and prosper. 

Fires. 

It used to be said that Barrie was one of the BEST BURNT 
towns in Canada. Certainly we had some very extensive fires, 
though SOME good has come of them, as a better class of house, 
generally brick, succeeded the old ones. 

On the 24th June, 1871, the GLEBE block, as it was then 
called the block south of Dunlop street and west of the post 
office, was completely "wiped out." 

On the 3ist of January, 1873, Boys brick block," that 
south of Dunlop and west of Market (or Mulcaster) street, was 
pretty well destroyed. 

On February 8th of the same year, Morrow s block, to the 
west of the Engine House, and the Engine House itself, went up 
in smoke and ashes 

On the 1 8th of June, the north side of Dunlop street, from 
Owen street westward, was the scene of one of our worst fires. 

On the 27th July, 1876, the Wellington Hotel block, and on 
the 1 8th of April, 1880, Crompton s block (north of Dunlop and 
west of Owen), were destroyed. 

In 1878 two memorable events took place. On the i2th of 



38 PIONEER PAPERS. 



August the great Hanlan regatta came oft" on our lovely Bay 
oarsmen from all parts of the continent making a vain effort to 
strip Hanlan of his laurels. While on the iSth of December, that 
year, our town was lighted with gas for the first time. 

Having made mention of FIRES, I would place on record my 
recollection of two earthquakes one on the 2oth of October, 

1870, in the day time, which caused all the house bells to ring, 
&c., and another at i o clock on the morning of the zist of May, 

1871, when the violent shaking of the bed I was sleeping in, and 
the rattling of the shutters and windows awoke me, leaving me 
almost paralysed, so curious is the effect of a disturbance of 
TERRA FIRMA. I had experienced a shock some years previous 
ly, when living on the banks of the St. Lawrence, which caused 
the horse I was driving to stop suddenly, and tremble all over. 

I find I am getting too prolix, so I will close with one or two 
remarks on that interesting subject, the weather. Among many 
recorded items I find the following: 

Feb. 6th, 1855 Thermometer shewed AT LEAST 40, as 
the mercury was frozen. I saw 55 below zero given in some 
newspapers, but " twas doubted by some." 

1859 June 5. Snow this morning. 

1862. July 6. Mercury said to be at 106 in the shade. 

1876. August 20. Frost to-night. 

1877. June 22. Frost at night. 

1878. July 17. Mercury over 100. 

1879. April ii. Sleighs out to-day. 

1881. Christmas Day. Dined with all windows open. 

1881. Dec. 28. Slept with all windows open. 

1 88 1. September 5th. A wonderfully dark, hot day. Gas 
at 5 p. m. hardly giving any light. 

1885. April 13. Good sleighing on some of our streets. 

In 1870 the snow was so deep in March, that from the i5th 
to the 1 9th, and again from the 26th to the 29th, the trains were 
completely blocked, leaving us for days together without any 
mails from Toronto. 

The earliest date for the complete closing of the bay by ice 
that I have recorded is Dec. ist, 1875 the latest Jan. i8th, 1889. 



PIONEER PAPERS. 



39 



The earliest OPENING that I find was on the last day of March, 
1878, and the latest May gth, 1874. I may say, however, that I 
was informed by the late David Soules, that he remembered Sir 
John Franklin and his party coming up the bay in boats on the 
1 5th of March, on one of his journeys to the N. W. via Penetang- 
uishene in 1825, if I mistake not. 

But, gentlemen, I find that I must be exceeding my limits, 
so here I close ; leaving you to pick out any wheat you may find 
in so much chaff, and thanking you for the patient hearing you 
have given me. 




40 PieNEER PAPERS. 



AN INTERESTING DOCUMENT. 
(Orillia Township.) 



An interesting document was unearthed by Mr. J. C. Rose, 
Township Clerk, in connection with the recent case against the 
Grand Trunk Railway for damages for killing cattle. The law 
yers for the plaintiff, Messrs. McCosh & Thompson, applied to 
Mr. Rose for a copy of the Township by-law permitting cattle to 
run at large. After some search he unearthed the original, which 
was contained in the record of the municipal proceedings for the 
year 1834. This ancient document is an unbound pamphlet of 
twelve manuscript pages, tied together with thread, and in a good 
state of preservation. Within this reasonable compass is con 
tained the minutes of all municipal meetings for the years 1834, 
1835 and 1836, the business then evidently not requiring very 
frequent gatherings or protracted sessions. This is the earliest 
of the records of the Township that Mr. Rose has been able to 
find. Moreover, internal evidence seems to indicate that the 
proceedings which it records were the earliest held in a regular 
way and under authority. 

It is noticeable, in view of recent disputes, that the "book" 
is headed Townships of North and South Orillia." It opens 
with the minutes of a Town Meeting held January 6th, 1834, at 
the Tavern, Newtown," that being the name by which the ham 
let which has since grown into Orillia was first known. Mr. John 
O Connor, Constable, was in the chair. The following officers 
were appointed for the year, and were therefore the first to hold 
office in the Township: Wardens, Dr. Darling and Mr. J. H. S. 
Drinkwater (father of Mr. R. J. S. and Captain Drinkwater) ; 
Assessors, Mr. W. Mulock (an uncle of the present Postmaster- 
General and of Mr. S. S. Robinson, Orillia) and Mr. James Darl 
ing; Collector, Mr. Gerald Alley; Pound-keeper, Mr. John Lobb; 
Town Clerk, Mr. C. J. Rowe; Pathmasters, Mr. T. Atkinson, 
Lieut. Kersopp, Mr. J. Sanson, Mr. W. Wood, Chief Yellow Head 
and Chief Big Shilling. The election of the last two is a reminder 
that at that time, Orillia had more red than white inhabitants. 
The only other business that appears to have been transac 
ted was the enactment of the by-laws which were produced in 






PIONEER PAPERS. 41 



court the other day, and which so far as the Township records go, 
have never been repealed, though amended somewhat in the two 
succeeding years. The by-laws read "That all horned cattle and 
horses as well as swine over three months old, shall be free fores 
ters; that post and rail fences shall be five and a-half and all 
others six feet high ; for two feet and a-half from the ground the 
rails shall not exceed four inches apart ; the next two feet and a- 
half they shall not exceed eight inches apart." It is further re 
corded that the Town Clerk had been making enquiries as to 
what bonds should be required from the Collector, and had been 
advised by Mr. Hepburn, the Deputy Clerk of the Peace, that 
as there would be no taxes to collect that year there would be no 
need for a bond. This is one of the circumstances that incline us 
to believe that these are the minutes of the first "Town Meeting" 
held in Orillia, together with ;he fact that the settlement of this 
district did not begin till 1832, and as meetings were few, if there 
had been any previous ones they would have been recorded in 
this book. 

The next Town Meeting recorded was held in the same tav 
ern in Newtown, a year afterwards, on January 5th, 1835. On 
this occasion Mr. Gerald Alley was in the chair. Chief Yellow 
Head, who seems to have been a man of influence and importance 
in the little community, and Dr. Powers were elected Wardens. 
The Assessors appointed were Mr. A. Gordon and Mr. J. J. Roe 
(then and for years after the leading merchant of the place) ; 
Collector, Mr. Hume, (who then owned five hundred acres of land 
at Marchmont and named that place after his family s estates in 
Ireland); Pathmasters, Mr. Atkinson, Mr. J. Kersopp, Mr. J. 
Lobb, Mr. Wright, Smith Shilling and Peter Canise (we spell the 
names as is done by the Town Clerk") ; Fence Viewers, Mr. J. 
Darling, Mr. Jacob Gill, Mr. Sanson, Mr. Sibbald, Timothy 
Shilling, and Peter Ingersoll; Poundkeeper, Mr. M. Bowers; 
Town Clerk, Mr. C. J. Rowe. The by-laws passed the previous 
year were amended to except bulls of two years and over, rams 
and goats, which animals, presumably, had been making them 
selves obnoxious. 

Another year went round, apparently, before the next meet 
ing was held, in Mr. Lawrence s tavern, "Orillia" (note the 
change in name) on January 4th, 1836. Mr. C. J. Rowe in the 
chair. The "Town Fathers" are now known as "Commissioners," 
and there are three of them, Mr. J. Sanson, Mr. G. Alley and Mr. 
J. H. S. Drinkwater. Mr. C. J. Rowe is again appointed Town 
Clerk. There is only one Assessor instead of two, and he is Mr. 
J. Gill. The Collector is Dr. Robertson; the Poundkeepers, Mr. 



42 PIONEEB PAPERS. 



H. Fraser and Mr. R. Bailey. The dut es of Pathmasters and 
Fence Viewers have been amalgamated under the head of Over 
seers of Highways, who are Mr. T. Goulding, Mr. H. Fraser, Mr. 
J. Darling, Mr. W. Wood, Mr. Harvey, Mr. J. J. Roe, Mr. Gordon, 
Chief Yellowhead, and Smith Shilling. (We repeat the Mr." 
in each case because the Clerk has carefully used it.) The age 
up to which bulls might run at large is extended to three years, 
and the fine for allowing them liberty over that age is doubled 
and made ten shillings. It is further provided that swine shall 
not be free foresters" until they weigh forty pounds. It was 
resolved "that a petition signed by the Commissioners on behalf 
of the Township shall be forwarded to the members for the 
County of Simcoe that ihey may present it to the Honourable 
the House of Assembly, praying for a sum of money to repair the 
Coldwater Road, the amount to be decided by competent judges." 
It was afterwards decided to ask for 250 or 300 pounds. 

By this time the municipal affairs of the growing hamlet 
appear to have required more supervision from the authorities, 
and during 1836 the Commissioners held six meetings. The 
business was chiefly of a routine character. One meeting was 
devoted to drawing up a list of pound fees and feed of animals ; 
another to the allotment of statute labour. Some of the items 
are interesting because they contain the names of well-known 
pioneers. For instance, at a meeting on Ju y 9, 1836, Dr. Robin 
son was appointed an Overseer of Highways, and directed to su 
perintend the making of the road to join town line between 
North and South Orillia from Lake Shore. At the same meet 
ing Joseph Calverley s statute labour was transferred to the Oro 
road. Peter Lamb, H. Baskerville, L. Wilson, and Secord 
were summoned to appear at the same meeting to discuss the 
placing of their statute. Another familiar name is that of J. 
Wright, who was instructed to do his labour "upon the Town 
Line from lot 3 to Coldwater Road." We note the Commission 
ers seem to have had the power to impose fines. Thus H. Fraser 
was fined twenty shillings for having neglected his duties as 
Overseer of Highways, and Captain St. John fifteen shillings for 
failing to perform his statute labour. In fact this seems to have 
been the chief source of revenue, as we learn from the Town 
Clerk s statement of "all money received and expended by order 
of the Commissioners between the ist of January and the 3ist of 
December, 1836." The receipts, less than $9, now seem ridicu 
lously small; but they appear to have been ample, as the ex 
penditure amounted to less than half that rum. The receipts 
were made up of "fines levied by magistrates at the Court, Cold- 



PIONEER PAPERS. 43 



water Road, 1 5 shillings ; fines levied by Commissioners, i pound ; 
total, i pound 153. Expenditure, for one quire of paper, is. 3d.; 
expended on Coldwater Road, under the direction of Mr. Roe, 
by order of the Township Commissioners, 155.; total, i6s. 3d. 
Balance on hand, i8s. gd." Such were the monetary transac 
tions recorded by the first Treasurer s statement in the Township 
of Orillia. We may add that the Collector and Clerk gave bonds 
for 50 pounds each, for the due performance of their duties, though 
they do not appear to have received any salary from the Com 
missioners. 



There is no record of any "Town Meeting" in 1837. 
same Commissioners seem to have continued in office, for they 
met on the third Saturday in January of that year, and having 
transacted their business adjourned to the first Saturday in April. 
The last entry in the first minute book reads "For continuation 
see new book." The new book, however, has not yet turned up. 
On the back page of the book, some scribe has been scribbling 
1 nes which suggested the headings for an advertisement, al 
though the PACKET was not in existence in those days. They 
are Imported Goods New Cheap Store New Cheap Store- 
J. Currie." We are further informed that John Currie left Cur- 
ach, parish of Beumere, Island of Islay, year 1824. Orillia 
"Packet", March 30, 1899. 




PRINTED BY THE EXAMINER, CARRIE, ONTARIO. 



Simcoe County Pioneer 



AND 



Historical Society 



PIONEER PAPERS No. 4 



BARRIE 

Published by the Society 
1911 



INTRODUCTION. 

These reminiscences of pioneer life from Mr. Steele s pen 
appeared in the ORILLIA PACKET in 1893-4. 

John Coucher Steele was a native of the Norman town of 
Coutances, where he was born on September 27th, 1817. He was 
educated there and at Upton Grammar School, Worcestershire, 
England. In 1832 he accompanied his father, Captain Elmes 
Steele, R.N., to Canada, and settled in Medonte, taking his share 
in the struggles and difficulties incident to pioneer life in those early 
days. In 1847 he settled on his own farm, close to " Purbrook," 
the old homestead occupied by his father, but in the early fifties 
moved to the Township of Oro, where he purchased the Dunsmore 
farm, (east half lot 16, concession 6), on which he lived until 1887. 
As Clerk of the Tenth Division Court he then (on a re-arrangement 
of the divisional boundaries) moved to Coldwater, where he 
continued to reside until his decease on the 2oth of August, 1909, 
much respected. Few had a longer experience or knew more of 
the early history of the County of Simcoe, either political or 
municipal, than Mr. Steele. He was for a few years Councillor, 
and then Reeve of Oro for 18 years, having been elected to the chair 
of the Township Council for seventeen consecutive years by 
acclamation. He was Warden of the County in 1875, and he was 
ex-officio a Director of the Northern Railway. 

Mr. Steele was a candidate for the constituency of East Simcoe 
for the Ontario Legislature in 1879, but was not elected. In 1865, 
when a member of the County Council, he succeeded in having the 
County entertain a large force of regulars and volunteers under the 
command of General Napier. The force got free transportation to 
Barrie, where a grand review was held. This act on the part of 
Mr. Steele stimulated the military spirit, and resulted in a company 
being formed at East Oro, underthecommandofLieutenant-Colonel, 
then Captain, O Brien of Shanty Bay. Mr. Steele succeeded in 
obtaining a sum of money from the Township for a drill hall and 
armoury, to supplement the Government grant, and induced the 
farmers to provide musical instruments and flags. His purse 
was always ready to assist in the good work of keeping the force 
in a position to be useful in the defence of the country. Rifle 
shooting he encouraged by getting the Council to vote prizes to 
marksmen, and during his time the riflemen of the County had a 
high place. Personally his militia service consisted of taking part 
in the suppression of the rebellion of 1837, in a corps raised for the 
purpose, in which he and his brother, the late Mr. Henry Steele, 
were officers. 

Canada may justly be proud of the record of her early pioneers, 
and the County of Simcoe will long remember their blameless lives 
and their ready promotion of all that tended to the welfare of their 
country. 




JOHN C. STEELE 

REPRINTED FROM "HISTORY OF SIMCOE COUNTY" BY A. F. HUNTER 

(Vol. 2, page 147) 



Reminiscences of a Pioneer 



BY 

JOHN C. STEELE 



I. 

SETTLEMENT IN MEDONTE. 

As one of the pioneers who settled in 1832 in this part of the 
County of Simcoe, I will redeem my promise of giving you a few 
reminiscences of that early time. My father, the late Capt. Steele 
of the Royal Navy, and I, a lad of fourteen, sailed from London in 
the good ship "The Branches," on the 25th of March, 1832, and 
arrived in Quebec on the i7th of May, after a long voyage of seven 
weeks, having been detained by ice in the Gulf of St. Lawrence 
two weeks. We stayed in the ancient city for a week, for it was a 
pleasure to my father to renew the acquaintance of several of the 
inhabitants whom he had known in the year 1806, when, as 
Lieutenant of the "Triton" frigate, he had sailed up the St. 
Lawrence in the month of December, after the buoys had been 
removed and the pilots had left, having to trust to the knowledge 
of a fisherman to pilot the frigate to Quebec. The vessel got on 
a rock, and was got off by the crew of three hundred men all getting 
to the stern and jumping up and down. The motion made the 
frigate gradually slide off the smooth rock. To add to my father s 
interest in Quebec was the fact that an uncle of his was an officer 
with General Wolfe at the taking of that city. But, " revenonsk 
nos moutons." We left Quebec in steamer "St. George," the 
Captain being an old shipmate of my father s, and on arriving at 
Montreal, that city being at that time the terminus of steamboat 
navigation, we and a number of emigrants embarked on board a 
batteau, or barge, and were hauled up the rapids of the St. 
Lawrence by horses, or oxen, as the case might be. My father 



8 REMINISCENCES OF A PIONEER 



becoming" tired of the slow progress we were making, we left the 
batteau at Cornwall and took the stage to Prescott, where we 
embarked on board a steamer, I think the " Niagara," and arrived 
in due time at " Little York," as Toronto was then called, and 
sometimes with the addition of " Dirty Little York." After a stay 
of two or three days, my father started out to spy out the land in 
the Township of Medonte, leaving me at Colonel Wells s, whose 
residence, some three miles from the town, was called Davenport, 
after his native place in England, and which still bears that name, 
being a station of the Northern Railway. After taking up his land 
he returned for me. We then travelled up Yonge-street by stage 
to the Holland Landing, and crossed Lake Simcoe in a little sloop 
commanded by one Peter Gruet. The wind not being fair, two 
days were spent crossing the lake, and on getting into Lake 
Couchiching we had the first sight of the Indian village, at that 
time called the Narrows, and now the town of Orillia. The village 
was on a rising ground, the houses being in semi-circle, each house 
containing two families, a log partition dividing each house. We 
stayed for a night at a boarding house, kept by a woman who was 
known by the name of Sarah. She afterwards married a man of 
the name of John O Connor, who subsequently was a resident of 
your town. He was one of the first men my father employed to 
clear up the old homestead, and he consulted him anent the match, 
saying he was sure the said Sarah had laid by some money, and 
he thought he would marry her and so he did. We left the 
village and started north by the Coldwater Road. Mr. Ritchie, 
who was Emigrant Agent for showing the settlers their land and 
locating them, kindly lent us a tent, and we camped out by the 
bank of a stream about eight miles from Orillia, which still bears 
the name of Purbrook ; the men lodging in small shanties made 
from the bark of the elm tree. I stayed in the camp until the men 
had cut a road to our future homestead. We were ten days in that 
camp, and Indians were frequently passing between the two villages 
of Coldwater and the Narrows, and the first batch that called at 
our camp my father made them sit down and told our housekeeper, 
Mrs. Butcher, to get them something to eat, and after that during 
our stay in the camp we had many visits from them. It was during 
the time we were camped on that spot that one evening we saw an 
old woman coming out of the woods with a pail in her hand. She 
was an old Scotch lady, the mother of an old man-of-war s man, 
Mr. John Jamieson, who lived on the townline between Oro and 
Medonte, and the grandmother of Mrs. Thomas Dunn, and the 
great-grandmother of your townsmen, the Messrs. Dunn. It seems 
she had taken the pail to go for water, and had lost her way, and 
had wandered at least five miles through the then unbroken forest. 



REMINISCENCES OF A PIONEER 



She stayed all night with us, and in the morning- my father sent a 
man to her home, and when the old lady was leaving, on seeing the 
nice clear water in the little brook, she went down the bank to fill 
her pail, saying it was a bonnie burn. At last we broke up camp 
and finally located it on the spot where our old homestead was 
afterwards built, and which was for many years called " Purbrook," 
but now changed to Fair Valley. A number of men were employed 
to clear the land and build the house, which after sixty years still 
stands. In the meantime we lived in the tent, which being an old 
one was not impervious to rain, and many a time I awoke to see 
my father holding an umbrella over our heads, a Scotch mist finding 
its way through the old canvass, and I remember how we both 
enjoyed hearing the rain rattling on the shingles when we removed 
into a room which was partly finished in the new house, and we 
had our two hammocks slung up ; and many a laugh the old 
gentleman had at my awkwardness in getting into mine, sometimes 
going in at one side and coming out at the other. But he, being 
an old sailor, was adept, and got in and out without any trouble. 
But, " experiencia docet," I soon could get in and out as well as 
he could. Soon after we had moved to the room in the house, Mr. 
Wm. Kent and his family (he was afterwards Deputy Receiver- 
General), Mr. John Eplett and his family, which included his sister- 
in-law, Miss Lovering, an aunt of Mr. H. L. Lovering of our village 
of Coldwater, and their hired man, who also came from Cornwall 
in England ; he was of the name of Lobb, and had a wife and child. 
The child died, and was buried on the place, my father reading the 
burial service over her, being the first death in Medonte of the 
emigrants of that year. 

J. C. STEELE. 
Coldwater, December igth, 1893. 



io REMINISCENCES OF A PIONEER 



II. 

THEIR FIRST YEAR IN CANADA. 

I will now, if I do not tire your readers, continue my 
recollections of the old days. When my father took up his land in 
Medonte he had been promised by Sir John Colborne that a grist 
mill would be built at Coldwater, and having cleared up some six 
or seven acres of land and sown it with fall wheat, and there being 
no sign of a mill being built, he went off to York and called at 
Government House and told the Governor that the promise had not 
been fulfilled, and he intended to leave. The Governor told him to 
consult with Captain Anderson (the Indian Superintendent) and he 
had his authority to have a first-class grist mill built, and a mill 
which was then considered first-class was built, and Mr. Jacob Gill, 
the father of the Messrs. Gill of Orillia, Fesserton and Matchedash, 
and of Mrs. Millard and Mrs. Buchanan, was the millwright who 
erected the mill. And many a time I have seen, when there was 
only a footpath past our homestead, a man carrying a bushel of 
wheat on his back, his wife half a bushel, and a boy about the 
same, to get it ground at the Coldwater mill, having beaten the 
sheaves against a barrel, scutching it, as it was called, and throwing 
it up to the wind to separate the chaff. These were the hard times. 
One day our old housekeeper and I walked to Orillia, and on our 
way, near where Warminster is now, we met a young man of the 
name of Graverod, who told us he had seen a bear a few minutes 
before, but not having a gun he could do nothing, but he intended 
procuring a gun at Coldwater, and he might see the bear on his 
return the next day. The old woman who was with me was pretty 
well frightened, but we saw no bear, and on our return the next 
day we met, near Bass Lake, five or six Indians carrying a wounded 
Indian boy. It seems the boy had been shooting at a bird, and 
his arrow was caught by a branch of a tree, and he climbed up the 
tree to get it. Young Graverod was returning from Coldwater, 
and near the same place where he had seen the bear the day before 
he saw something dark among the leaves of a birch tree, and 
thinking it was the bear, he fired, and wounded the poor Indian 



REMINISCENCES OF A PIONEER 1 1 



boy. Graverod was with the party of Indians, but the poor boy 
died from his wounds. 

At this time in your, then, village there was a Mr. Alley, who 
was quite a stirring man, and indeed considered himself the founder 
of the village. He was very near sighted, and old Mrs. James 
Sanson used to say there never was a village without a blind alley. 
I had been invited by our kind friends, Colonel and Mrs. Wells, to 
visit them again at Davenport, and I left Orillia on board the little 
sloop, Mr. Alley being also a passenger. He had a boat towing 
behind the sloop. As usual, the wind was ahead, and the sloop 
lay to for more thanhalf-a-day. Mr. Alley then called for volunteers 
to go in his boat by the Mara shore, and I, boy-like, at once 
answered to his call, and we started, but made very little headway, 
and when darkness set in Mr. Alley could not see at all, and was 
asking me every now and then if we were clear of the shore. I am 
afraid I used a little duplicity and did not tell him exactly the truth, 
for I had seen a light on shore, and I saw the boat was nearing it 
every minute, and we soon found ourselves ashore, and making for 
the light found a small log house, inhabited by a half-breed, of the 
name of Kennedy. His wife and sister and two or three children 
occupied the house. They received us in a very friendly manner, 
and we stayed all night and partook of a supper and breakfast, the 
bill of fare being a hodge podge of squirrels, ground hogs and 
rabbits. Next morning we sailed to Beaverton, and from thence 
to Roche s Point, where a Major Raines lived. We stayed there 
anight and left the boat and walked to David Town and Newmarket. 
I there took the stage to York, heartily tired of Mr. Alley s 
company, for he had a way of travelling by imposing on the 
hospitality of some who w ere perfect strangers to him, which to 
me, although only a boy, seemed very mean. I then had a good time 
with my kind friends the Wellses until February. The old Colonel 
wasTreasurerforUpperCanada,andwhentheroadson Yonge-street 
were impassable I often drove him to his office in a little spring 
cart down what is now College-avenue, having to thread our way 
in and out round stumps and fallen trees. We used to drive to 
church every Sunday, to a little frame church standing where St. 
James s cathedral is now, and often heard Archdeacon Strachan 
preach, who was afterwards bishop. I used to see him on week 
days walking sturdily along King-street. It was a fine sight on 
a Sunday to see the regiment of regulars stationed at York going 
to church, the band playing before them, and the soldiers filing off 
to their respective churches, Sir John Colborne, the Governor, in 
his uniform of a General Officer, walking on the sidewalk with 
Lady Colborne and his family. There was no cry then for Sunday 
cars, or omnibuses, but every one made use of the limbs God had 



12 REMINISCENCES OF A PIONEER 



given them, I stayed with our kind friends until February, 1833, 
when my father came for me, and we went by stage to the Holland 
Landing. My father s friend Mr. George Lount, the father of 
William, and Samuel, and George Lount, was the then Registrar, 
and had bought a yoke of oxen for my father, and we started next 
morning for home, drivingthe oxen before us. Westayed at a tavern 
a few miles from Barrie, having walked about twenty-five miles. 
We had to cross the head of Kempenfelt Bay on the ice, there 
being no road except the beach. The oxen did not like the ice, as 
it cracked when we were near a stream flowing into the bay, and 
I was sent (as we could not get them to cross) to get someone to 
help us, and I got a man who lived in almost the only house in 
Barrie, but we could do nothing with them even then with his help. 
We saw a sleigh approaching with four or five men. The driver, 
Mr. Eli Beaman, was a half brother of Chief Justice Robinson, and 
when he saw the dilemma we were in, he sent a man to cut a pole 
in the bush, and two men at each end pushed the oxen across the 
crack, and we went along rejoicing towards the Barrie shore. 
About twelve miles from Barrie we came to the residence of Mr. 
Craig, the grandfather of the Messrs. Craig of Medonte, and 
stayed, the next day being Sunday, until Monday morning. There 
was in the house one of the old-fashioned chimneys, four feet wide 
at the back, and whenever the old gentleman would bring in a log 
for the fire, he would say to my father, " Captain, winter is 
approaching, we must keep up a good fire." This was the signal 
on the mast head of Admiral Duncan s ship when the British fleet 
was going to engage the Dutch fleet, commanded by Admiral De 
Winter, and they did keep up a good fire and " beat the Dutch," 
which is reckoned a hard thing to do. My father being a naval 
officer was the cause of the old gentleman using the expression. 
We started home next morning, and many a load of lumber I 
brought from Coldwater that winter with the oxen, making at that 
time the acquaintance of old Mr. Craddock, our present oldest 
inhabitant, born in 1812. He was a man of about twenty years old 
when I first knew him, and he is still hale and hearty, and as straight 
as any young man ; and he is straight in every way, being a man 
whose word is as good as his bond, for the saying here is, 
" Whatever Mr. Craddock says he will do, he will never back out." 
In the spring of this year my mother, sisters and brother came out, 
and I can assure you it was a great change for us who had been 
so long without the society of ladies, and we both appreciated it. 
The young ladies of those days could walk eight or ten miles, and 
many a visit we had from old Mr. Drinkwater and his daughters. 
He was the grandfather of the Messrs. Drinkwater of Northbrook, 
and my sisters used to return the visit and thought nothing of the 



REMINISCENCES OF A PIONEER 13 



distance. Captain Wilson, Mrs. Wilson, and his family of three 
sons and one daughter, settled about two miles from us, and there 
was constant intercourse between us. The ladies of the family 
used to meet, and you would be astonished, Mr. Editor, what good 
coats Miss March (Mrs. Wilson s sister) and my mother would 
make for us boys. " Necessity is the mother of invention," and 
these ladies being put to it snowed what they could no. The 
mosquitoes were the great trouble with them, for they were in 
countless thousands, and the clearing being small there was no 
wind to drive them away. A neighbour of Mr. Drinkwater s was 
going to visit the family and, as was the fashion at that time 
for gentlemen, he wore a large cloak. On his way he saw a little 
animal which did not get out of the way quickly and he gave chase 
to it, and not wishing it to escape he took off his cloak and threw 
it over the little animal when lo, and behold, the perfume which 
emanated from the said cloak certainly was not so pleasant, 
although far stronger than ottar of roses, and the gentleman had 
to return home, not being presentable to ladies for a few days. He 
certainly learned something that day of Canadian zoology. I am 
afraid, Mr. Editor, that your readers will find what I have written 
rather prosy, but they must forgive an old man of seventy-seven. 

JOHN STEELE. 



14 REMINISCENCES OF A PIONEER 



III. 

LIFE IN THE BUSH. 

I once more sit down to give your readers a few more 
memories of " Auld Lang- Syne." I will pass over our second 
winter, which, in spite of those who say the seasons are changed, 
was very much like the winters we now have. The forest not 
having been cleared up as it now is, we were spared the drifts which 
so often at this time block our roads. As my brother Henry and I 
had been brought up not to mind a little roughness and fatigue, 
when the middle of April, 1834, opened out fine and balmy it was 
decided by the family council that we two boys were to go to 
Newmarket, a distance of seventy miles, to drive home two cows 
which our old friend Mr. George Lount had bought for my father. 
Our good mother, knowing we could get nothing to eat until we 
got as far Mrs. Bruce s, on the Penetanguishene-road, where we 
were to stay the first night, filled our lunch basket, and we started 
by the townline between Oro and Medonte, arriving about six 
o clock at Mrs. Bruce s hotel. The ladies were in the ascendant 
in those days, and it was called Mrs. Bruce s hotel, as Mrs. Barr, 
whom Capt. Anderson mentions in his diary, kept the hotel at 
Warminster. I suppose there was a good reason for it, as in both 
cases the old saying that " the gray mare w r as the better horse" 
held good. However, Mrs. Bruce made us very comfortable, and 
next morning we started on our journey, crossed the bay in a boat 
at Kempenfelt, and stayed at night at a hotel near where Bradford 
now is. The next morning we called on Mr. Lount, who kindly 
went with us to the farm of an old Quaker who lived near 
Newmarket. Mr. Lount having already a cow at his own place, 
he chose a black cow from the old Quaker s stock, and as we were 
leaving with her the old fellow exclaimed, " There goes trouble " 
ominous words, for from the time we started homewards the 
next morning she was either getting caught by the leg in a cause 
way or getting swamped in a mud hole. We travelled only about 
fifteen miles that day, as a heavy fall of snow had covered the 
ground. The next day we again arrived at Mrs. Bruce s, and 



REMINISCENCES OF A PIONEER 15 



started next morning for home. We had walked only about a mile 
from Craighurst along the townline of Oro and Medonte when 
" Trouble" got fast in a bog, and I had to send my brother for 
help to get her out, and when we had her out she was on the 
wrong side of the bog and would have had to go through it again, 
so I sent her back to Mrs. Bruce s with my brother and left her 
there until she calved, and after we got her home she was always 
getting into trouble. There was not a bog round the place that 
she did not try the depth of it. We kept her until by good luck 
Mr. Alley got up a fair in your then village, and as Trouble was a 
black cow she took the fancy of Capt. McPherson, the father of 
Mr. James McPherson of Rama, as her colour reminded him of the 
Highland cattle. I never heard how she ended her days, whether 
it was in a bog, or did she die to help feed the natives ? About 
this time honest Mr. John Scott lived in Oro. He was a provincial 
land surveyor, and was employed by the Home District Sessions 
to survey some roads in Oro and Medonte, and he walked to the 
Holland Landing and from thence by stage to Toronto to attend a 
meeting of the Sessions to present his account for the work he had 
done, but he failed of getting paid, and on his return he called on 
my father and shewed him a petition he had prepared to present to 
the Session at their next meeting. The petition as usual began 
with " The petition of the undersigned humbly sheweth" that he 
attended the last meeting of the Sessions and on presenting his 
account the Chairman roared at your petitioner like a Bull of 
Bashan. My father told him it would never do to present such a 
petition, and he was at last amenable to reason, and between them 
they made the petition presentable, and he got his account paid. 
Mr. Scott was a very worthy man and has many of his descendants 
in the neighbourhood of Rugby. I heard a story about him which 
was told me by a neighbour. He (Mr. Scott) was digging a very 
deep well and was at the bottom filling the bucket when those who 
were hauling it up saw a bear and went to look after it and left Mr. 
Scott at the bottom of the well, and I believe he himself did roar, 
and no wonder. 

Well, I think it is time I should end these disjointed 
remembrances, but I often fancy in my day dreams that 1 see the 
kind faces of so many of my old friends who have passed away 
from this world. Among many others, kind old Dr. John Ardagh 
on his little gray mare ; Dr. Paul Darling, his brother James, and 
their brother, my old chum, the Rev. Wm. Darling, and that kind 
old lady their mother. Very few of the old friends I knew in those 
early days are now alive, although I had the pleasure of meeting, 
a little more than a year since, my old friend Canon Mulock, after 
fifty years. Speaking of Dr. John Ardagh reminds me of a visit 



1 6 REMINISCENCES OF A PIONEER 



he paid me (not a professional one) in 1846. I was then living in 
Medonte in a shanty, as I had just moved on to my own land. It 
began to rain very hard and I wanted him to stay all night, but he 
said he had to get home, and I put him on the road and told him 
to mind in turning round a tree which had fallen across the road 
that he did not get into the bush. It was just getting dark when 
the Doctor knocked at the door. He was wet through. He said 
he had lost his way, and tied his mare to a tree, and having found 
his way out he could not find " Jenny." I offered to give him a 
horse to ride home with, but as we had a roaring fire in the chimney 
he said he would stay all night as he was very comfortable, and he 
entertained us with anecdotes as he alone could tell them. The 
next morning we again tried to find poor Jenny, but failed, and I 
lent the good Doctor a horse to ride home. The next night there 
was a heavy fall of snow, and in the morning I found the little mare 
standing by the stable door. The valise the Dector carried in front 
of his saddle was thoroughly wet. I took the instruments out and 
dried them and sent a man home with the mare. 

I cannot help here relating an incident which endorses the old 
French saying, " Le vrai n est pas toujours le vrai semblable," 
which translated into English means that truth is not always like 
truth. Two gentlemen lately out from England called on us. 
They had letters of introduction to my father. One was a Mr. 
Tongue and the other a Mr. Riddle. Mr. Riddle introduced Mr. 
Tongue and Mr. Tongue did the same for Mr. Riddle, and at the 
same time amidst much laughter told us that his friend could not 
pronounce his own name. Mr. Riddle then related that his parents 
sent him to a teacher of elocution and he gave him the rhym, 
Round the rugged rock the ragged Rachel ran, and he could say 
it quite glibly, but could not pronounce the letter R in his own 
name. Well, he was a riddle to me then and I have not been able 
to this day to solve the riddle. 

In the Toronto Mail s history of the Clan McLean it is stated 
that Allan McLean Howard had been Clerk of the Toronto Division 
Court since 1832. This was a mistake, for the Division Courts 
were not established for several years after that date. There were 
Courts of Requests, as they were called, and Mr. John Thomson, 
the father of Mr. Frank Thomson, Mr. James Dallas, I think, or 
perhaps it was Mr. James Sanson, and my father were the 
commissioners of the Court of Requests, and Sergeant Baillie, the 
father of Mrs. Price, of Price s Corners, was the Bailiff. The place 
where the sittings of the Court were held was the Plough Inn, 
Price s Corners. Said inn was kept by Mr. Henry Fraser, the 
father of Mr. Alexander Fraser of your town, being the first of 
several hotels of which he was landlord during his long life. For 



REMINISCENCES OF A PIONEER 17 

a sign there was a little wooden plough on the top of a pole, and 
many a time I drove with my father to attend the sittings of the 
Court. I remember several settlers were brought before the 
Court having been sued on notes they had given to a Yankee 
wooden clock pedlar. Many of the settlers had bought them, and 
a man came round and seized the clocks on the plea that they had 
not paid duty. The poor settlers, as the time drew near for 
payment, willingly gave up the clocks, but they did not get the 
notes they had given, and another party having possession of them 
sued the settlers and they had to pay them but I remember the 
Commissioners gave them easy terms of payment. These clocks 
were not a bad kind, and I saw one which was in good running 
order after twenty-five years wear. Yours, &c., 

JOHN C. STEELE. 
Coldwater, March I7th, 1894. 



i8 REMINISCENCES OF A PIONEER 



IV. 

MUNICIPAL LIFE IN THE EARLY YEARS OF ORO. 

It may interest some of your readers if I give some of my re 
collections of municipal life in the early days in Oro. Mr. Richard 
Drury, the father of Mr. Charles Drury, was Reeve, and our place 
of meeting was John Galbraith s tavern, as it was called. Old 
John Galbraith was well-known to travellers on the road from 
Orillia to Barrie ; he also was a Councillor for the township. I 
was generally the first to arrive at our place of meeting, and as 
the landlady had forgotten the day of the meeting, my arrival put 
her in mind that it was Council day, and immediately there was a 
commotion among the fowls ; boys were set to run them down, 
and they (the fowls) were made to contribute towards our dinner. 
Mr. Drury, having the longest road to travel, was generally the 
last to arrive. About one o clock we would adjourn for dinner, 
the fowls having been caught, without looking to their age, and 
they were generally a pretty tough lot. On one occasion (Mr. 
Drury, as Reeve, being the carver) the hens being tough and the 
knives being blunt, he could make no impression upon them, and 
he looked around with blank despair on his countenance, when 
old John Galbraith came to his aid with an exclamation of " Hold 
on, Mr. Drury, and I will soon tore them in pieces." He im 
mediately took hold of one of the aged hens by the legs and pulled 
them apart, and with "Ahem, that s the way to do it," he 
seized on the other and served it in the same way. On another 
occasion a man by the name of McGregor had the house rented, 
and Mr. Duncan Clarke, who was the township clerk, generally 
had a large, brown dog with him. And one day we were wondering 
we had no announcement of dinner made, and after waiting an 
hour later than usual, dinner was announced, and on entering the 
dining room the landlady met us with, "Gentlemen, you will have 
to pay fifty cents each for the dinner, for Mr. Clarke s dog has 
eaten the first dinner prepared." Our Reeve, Mr. Drury, turned 
to the Clerk and said, "Mr. Clarke, charge the extra twenty-five 
cents to the township," and so it was done. 



REMINISCENCES OF A PIONEER 19 



V. 

ORO VISITED. 

According to promise I will give you an account of my late visit 
to my former home in Oro. I was astonished to see the great 
change that seven years had made in the neighbourhood, and with 
in sight of my old homestead I could see five or six substantial 
brick houses that had been erected since I had left, and the farms 
shewed the prosperity of the owners. Verily the thought passed 
through my brain, is this the sign of the down-trodden farming 
community which we have heard so much of lately, and wish for 
a return ot the good times of old ? Very little the present genera 
tion know of the good times they mourn after. I remember them 
well, and the time when the farmers wives would walk to Barrie 
or Orillia, carrying a basket of butter or eggs ten or twelve miles, 
and returning in the evening with the groceries, &c. , they had 
purchased, altogether a distance of twenty or twenty-four miles, 
and paying for the said groceries, IDC. per pound for sugar, tea 
from 6oc. to $i, and salt $3.50 per barrel. I remember before I 
removed to Oro I had a good crop of wheat, but there was no cash 
market for it, unless we waited for sleighing and drove to the 
Holland Landing, and I wanted to pay my taxes and could not 
raise the needful. My old friend Mr. George Hallen came to the 
rescue. He told me he was getting a saddle from Mr. King, a 
storekeeper at that time in Orillia. King would take wheat for it 
at the price of fifty cents per bushel, and Mr. Hallen had no wheat 
to sell. I gave him the wheat, with which he paid for the saddle, 
and gave me the money, with which I got out of my dilemma. 

But to return to my visit among my old friends. I went on 
Sunday to the Presbyterian Church at Guthrie, which is a large, 
substantial brick Church erected in the stead of the old frame one, 
at the opening of which I was present many years since. There 
is also a fine Church near the Town Hall, and another at Jarratt s 
Corners, all erected within the last three or four years. I found 
good roads, rather a contrast to the roads leading into the village 
of Coldwater, which are a disgrace to a township which has now 



20 REMINISCENCES OF A PIONEER 



been settled more than sixty years. About two miles from here, 
near Mr. John Walker s residence, there is a piece of roadmaking 
the like of which I never saw, and jogging towards home we had 
to walk the horse until we passed it. The townline between Tay 
and Medonte, which is a leading road into our embyro town, is a 
disgrace to the two townships that have superintendence of it. My 
trip put me in mind of several incidents of my municipal days. 
One was this. We had for an assessor an old settler from the 
neighbourhood of Rugby, and there was at that time a tax on dogs. 
My old friend Mr. Marshall Young, the assessor, had a great 
deal of trouble in getting all the canines on the roll, and as he 
came to a shanty the man of the house called to his wife, " Here 
comes the assessor ; open the trap of the cellar and put the dog 
in." And it was done. Mr. Young asked if they had a dog. 
No, there was no dog ; but as Mr. Marshall Young always walked 
and carried a stick which he called his pony, when he was leaving 
he said, rapping the floor with his stick, " This is my pony. " The 
dog in his prison thought someone was knocking at the door, and 
began to bark, and was immediately put on the roll. I remain, 
yours, &c., 

JOHN C. STEELE. 
Coldwater, August 7th, 1894. 



REMINISCENCES OF A PIONEER 21 



VI. 

RECOLLECTIONS OF THE REBELLION OF 37. 

As some of your readers have expressed a wish that I should 
continue my recollections of the days of " lang syne," I will do so. 
For the next five years after our arrival in Canada we continued 
in the even tenor of our lives, devoting ourselves to clearing up 
the forest, and many a stalwart pine tree was consigned to the 
flames which at the present time would be of great value. There 
was at this time in the political world grumblings as of distant 
thunder, but we in the backwoods had no time to take heed of 
them until, in the beginning of December, 1837, we were startled 
by hearing that the country between us and Toronto was in open 
rebellion. As loyal subjects, a muster of all men able to carry 
arms was called by my father as far as the Township of Medonte 
was concerned, and we mustered at what is now Craighurst, and 
a company was formed under the command of Captain Thomas 
Boyd, the grandfather of the Mesdames Leatherdale of this village, 
each one of us appearing at the muster with what firearms we 
could procnre. Old swords were also in requisition. When we 
arrived in Barrie, those who had no arms were served with guns 
of the kind that at that time were given to the Indians as presents, 
and which were as likely to hurt the owner as the enemy. We 
marched from Barrie and at night took up our quarters at a farm 
house belonging to a man of the name of Colson. The next day 
we arrived at the Holland Landing, and during the short stay we 
made there we heard heavy firing on the opposite hill, and at once 
our Captain had the roll called and all the men answered to their 
names except one, and two men were sent into the house to hunt 
him up, and lo and behold he was found concealed under a bed ; 
and this same man during the march the previous day was a 
regular fire-eater and only wanted to see a rebel to show what he 
could do. Poor old Tom Kelly, one of the old Connaught Rangers, 
"the fighting 88th" to whom at the battle of Waterloo General 
SirThomas Picton called out, " Rangers of Connaught, come on, you 
fighting devils, "and one of the men said, "Sure, General, we are not 



22 REMINISCENCES OF A PIONEER 



thieves and robbers now." " Well," said the General, " you are all 
that I called you, but you are not cowards" Old Tom said to me, 
"Sure, Mr. Steele, sure he was big enough to ate me, but he 
hasn t the heart of a flea." The alarm was caused by some vol 
unteers returning, having heard that the rebels had been dispersed, 
and in passing the hotel belonging to a man who had joined the 
rebels, they (the volunteers) fired off their guns at the sign over 
the door. We continued our march to Newmarket and were 
quartered among the inhabitants. I, with others, was at a hotel 
kept by Atheneas King, and during the night I heard a crash as 
of broken glass, and getting up to find out what had caused the 
noise I found that a poor fellow who had been sleeping on the 
floor had dreamed that the rebels were upon him, in his fright had 
jumped through the window into the street, taking the window 
sash with him. As the poor men who composed our company had 
left their families quite unprovided for, our Captain saw no use in 
staying any longer, and the men were marched home. My old 
friend Mr. William Wilson and myself having friends in Toronto, 
we thought we would walk down, and in passing Montgomery s 
tavern, the headquarters of the rebels, the ruins were still smok 
ing, as it had been set on fire by the volunteers from Toronto. 
So ended my military experience. The next winter, of 1838-39, 
there was quite a number of men belonging to the several town 
ships of the county stationed at Penetanguishene, to the number 
of four or five hundred, under the command of Colonel Davis (an 
old army officer.) I never could see what use they were there, 
for the ice and old Father Winter was a defence which no Yankee 
filibusters could face, and as soon as spring opened and the navi 
gation of the lakes, the poor men returned home to their families, 
having lost time very valuable to them in clearing up and chopping 
down the forest. I remain, yours truly, 

JOHN C. STEELE. 
Coldwater, May 24th, 1895. 






REMINISCENCES OF A PIONEER 23 



VII. 

AN OLD TIME ELECTION. 

As many of your readers have expressed a wish that I, as one 
of the few who now remain, who took part in the election par 
excellence of the last half century, in which my father was the 
successful candidate, would let my memory travel back fifty-four 
years, I will give you and your readers as correct an account as I 
can of the event. At that time there was a strong feeling through 
out the country against what was then called the " Family Com 
pact," and at this time it is acknowledged by all parties that it 
governed the country in a high handed manner. My father s 
politics when in England was called a name now obsolete Whig, 
and which might now be called moderate Liberal. Mr. James 
Dallas, of Orillia, being of the same politics, my father proposed 
to him to run for member of the District of Simcoe, which com 
prised, besides the present bounds of the County of Simcoe, the 
Townships of Thorah, Mara, and Rama. My father went into 
the canvass for Mr. Dallas as if for himself, and both of them be 
ing in Toronto at the time when a meeting was to be held at 
Finch s tavern, ten miles from that city, in the fall previous to the 
election, in support of Lord Durham, they (Mr. Dallas and my 
father) proposed to attend it. My father was staying at that time 
with my sister, the late Mrs. A. Murray, and it was arranged be 
tween Mr. Dallas and himself that Mr. Dallas would call for him, 
and they would both go together to the meeting. As arranged, 
Mr. Dallas called in the morning with a carriage and driver, and 
both gentlemen were dressed in style, with silk hats, &c. When 
they arrived at the place of meeting a platform had been erected 
and the speaking was in full swing, when the opposition party 
came down upon them and upset the platform and the speakers 
took to their heels. Francis Hincks, afterwards Sir Francis, 
being a good rider, took to the fields and rode over fences until 
he got far enough to make his way to the main road and then on 
to Toronto. Mr. Dallas was rushed away with the crowd and lost 
his hat and one tail of his coat, which, however, was returned to 



24 REMINISCENCES OF A PIONEER 

him, and an old straw hat was given him in lieu of the silk one 
which was lost in the crowd. My old father there was no run 
in him as soon as the other party put up the platform and opened 
their meeting", got up among the speakers and protested against 
their doings. My sister often laughed at the figure they cut, the 
coming back being so different from the going out in the morning. 
Well, I have now given you an account of what was at that time 
called the "Durham Races," as given to me by a participant in 
the said "races." It sickened Mr. Dallas of politics, and he 
would have nothing more to do with them and my father then 
took his place as candidate, and having already canvassed a great 
part of this then large county for Mr. Dallas, he found it an easier 
task to canvass for himself, and he started out on his old mare 
" Gypsy," and rode all through the county and made a house to 
house canvass. And as this letter has already taken up too much 
of your valuable space, I will leave for another issue the account* 
of the election which took place in the month of March following. 

J. C. STEELE. 
October, 1895. 



*So far as we can ascertain, Mr. Steele did not write the further account of his 
father s election to Parliament. EDITOR. 

Printed by THE PACKET, Orillia, Ontario 




A. C. OSBORNE 



Simcoe County Pioneer and 
Historical Society 



PIONEER PAPERS-NO. 5. 



BARRIE: 

Published by the Society. 
1912. 



CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER. 

Introduction, 
I. The French Period, 

II. The Beginning of the British Regime, 

III. The War of 1812-15, 

IV. Events Succeeding the War, 
V. Naval Officers of the Post, 

VJ. Traders and Others, 

VII. Early Roads and Mails, 

VIII. Notable Visitors of the Early Days, 

IX. The Garrison and its Pioneers, 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 



PAGE. 

5 

6 

8 

14 

22 

37 

44 
62 

65 

70 



A. C. Osborne, 



Magazine Island, 
The Magazine, 
Admiral Bayfield, 
Officers Quarters, 
James Warren, 



Frontispiece 

Facing 
Paga 

24 
28 

40 
72 
80 



OLD PENETANGUISHENE. 



Sketches of its Pioneer, Naval and Military Days. 



By A. C. OSBORNE. 



INTRODUCTION 

Penetanguishene, once the centre of British naval and 
military operations, and reminiscent of French occupation 
and the fur trade, is situated at the head of a beautiful bay 
of the same name, an inlet of the Georgian Bay, projected 
ri f cht into the land of the ancient Huron, of whose former 
domain Simcoe County now embraces the greater portion. 

This euphonious name owes its origin to the sand dunes 
of the Tiny peninsula, on the western shores of the bay, 
which glisten like gold in the sun, and which, in the Indian 
tongue, are known as "Penetanguishene," signifying, when 
freely translated, "The Place of the White Rolling Sands." 
The bay, whose waters lave its banks, receives the same 
name, which is in turn applied to the town nestling on its 
shores. Penetanguishene, Hochelaga, Stadacona, with the 
hosts of striking aboriginal names, spread over the Dominion 
cf Canada and the continent of America, not only appeal to 
the imagination and excite a profound interest in the curiosi 
ties and limitations of the Indian dialects; they also stand 
as "imperishable Cenotaphs" in that grand galaxy of place- 
names, perpetuating the memory of long extinct nations, 
pointing to their pathetic history and fate. They likewise 
reveal the footprints of vanished races, innumerable as the 
sands upon the shore, who once roamed this vast wilderness 
lords of the soil. In these fantastic names savage tradition 
and modern enlightenment salute one another across remote 
centuries of lime, as now discovery, development, the arts, 
and sciences, clasp hands with each other. 

This highly poetic and expressive name is claimed by 
local tradition to be of Abenaki origin, a dialect of the great 
Algonquin family which once occupied the region extending 
from the Atlantic Ocean to the Rocky Mountains, north of 



PIONEER PAPERS 



the St. Lawrence River and the great lakes, and was already 
here when the Huron savage appeared on the scene. The 
A-ben-a-ki and their dialects are now confined mainly to 
New Brunswick and the Maritime Coasts, and Penetangui- 
shene, slightly modified by the exigencies of changing dia 
lects, is one of the few names melancholy relics, sparsely 
scattered here and there north of the great lakes which re 
main to tell of A-ben-a-ki occupation. Strangely enough, 
Penetanguishene and Cataraqua (Kingston) are the only two 
names of the Abenaki dialect remaining in Ontario which 
remind us of the passing of this once powerful branch of the 
great Algonquin race. It is said "there are slippery places 
in Indian philology," which admonish us of the "uncertainty 
of tribal divisions and dialect derivations." Still, there are 
many facts in the history of these tribal changes and local 
tradition which furnish abundant evidence confirming the 
theory of this origin. Edward Jack, an authoritative writer 
on Indian lore, who spent his life in the forest with the 
Indians, especially the Abenaki, says he frequently heard 
words and phrases from the Abenaki language used by the 
Ojibways on the shores of Lake Superior. Again, some few 
years ago, two or three Abenaki families migrated from New 
Brunswick to work in the lumber regions of Muskoka, and 
when conversing on the subject they always claimed that 
this was formerly the stamping ground of the Abenaki race, 
and local tradition agrees in strongly supporting their claim. 
The present form of "Penetanguishene" is Ojibway, and like 
Cau-da-ra-qua (Kingston), which has no less than thirtv-nine 
variant spellings, its orthography has undergone numerous 
changes, though not so many. Among the variations may be 
noted Penetangoushene, Penetanctoshene, Penetanctshene, 
with an extended list still undiscovered. 



CHAPTER I. 
THE FRENCH PERIOD 

Penetanguishene Bay first became known to white men 
when in August, 1615, that intrepid adventurer, Champlain, 
and his French VOYAGEURS landed at Outouacha Bay (now 
known as Colborne Bay or Northwest Basin), on the western 
shores of the bay, on an expedition of discovery and explora 
tion in the Huron country after an arduous journey of over 
nine hundred miles from Quebec up the St. Lawrence, Ottawa 
and Mattawa rivers, across Lake Nippising, down the French 



PIONEER PAPERS 



Ri^er and the island shore of the Georgian Bay, making the 
trip in frail canoes and over innumerable difficult and unfa 
miliar portages. The Penetanguishene Bay was known seve 
ral years previous to the first visit Of French traders to 
Toronto Bay, as only in 1735 was Fort Rouille, on the present 
site of Toronto, established. Situated near the shores of 
Outouacha Bay was the Huron town of Otouacha, with a 
population of several hundred souls, whose inhabitants hailed 
the advent of the strangers with joyful acclaim and dispensed 
savage hospitality with a liberal hand. This locality was 
later to attain historical notoriety as the centre of thrilling 
events connected with the Huron missions of the Jesuits. 
Proceeding westward, calling at Carmaron and two other 
towns on the way, Champlain arrived at Carhagouha, a 
Huron town with a population of about two thousand Indians, 
enclosed with triple palisades thirty-five feet high, situated 
somewhere in the vicinity of Lafontaine. Here he met the 
Recollet, Father Caron, who had preceded him a few days 
with some Frenchmen, and together the company knelt at a 
temporized altar and celebrated the first mass in the Huron 
country. Champlain, in the course of his journey, visited 
Touaguainchain, the nearest Huron prototype of Penetangui 
shene, situated near the head of the bay, then several other 
villages on the way. The party continued their progress, 
passing through a succession of native towns till they reached 
Cahiague and the Narrows, near Orillia. Here we leave 
Champlain busied with his commissariat preparatory to his 
second expedition against the Iroquois. Champlain s histoiy 
and career are familiar to all and need not be further re 
peated. 

Father Martin located the former site of Ihonatiria, on 
the banks of a small stream falling into Outouacha Bay and 
some distance above its shores. There is a slight difference 
of opinion among archaeologists as to its exact location, but 
until the question is authoritatively decided to the contrary 
we must assume Father Martin s view as the correct one. At 
Ihonatiria the first Jesuit Mission was established by the 
heroic Brebeuf in 1634, and called the Mission of St. Joseph. 
This was the opening scene in that great wilderness drama 
of the Jesuit Huron Missions of seventeen years, during which 
struggling missions were established in many Indian towns 
and villages, entailing untold hardship, suffering, and death. 
The main Central Mission House of St. Marie I. (Old Fort),on 
the River Wye, near the town of Midland, was built in 1639, 



8 PIONEER PAPERS 



and the missions ten years later culminated in the bloody 
conflict of St. Louis and the terrible tragedy of St. Ignace, in 
which Brebeuf and his companion perished. Then followed 
the building of Ste. Marie II, on Christian Island, to which the 
mission was removed, and the final dispersion tock place in 
1650-1. In commemoration of these thrilling events, and in 
honor of these devoted pioneer missionaries, the corner stone 
of the Memorial Church at Penetanguishene was laid in 1886, 
and the edifice erected, in a great measure, as a national me 
morial. 

An interregnum of one hundred and ten years followed, 
during which the "land of the Huron," relegated to the wild 
beasts of the forest only, when the silence and desolation 
were broken by an occasional Iroquois hunter, was devoid of 
history and almost without tradition. The conqueror, the 
exultant Iroquois, in turn gave way to the Ojibway of the 
north by whom he was gradually replaced, and who ruled 
lords of this domain till the conquest and the advent of the 
British upon the scene in 1759, which changed the course of 
savage empire. Five years later Alexander Henry, the 
famous traveller and fur-trader, passed over these waters 
with his savage captors, in 1764, on his way to Niagara and 
liberty when the Indian braves made a treaty of amity with 
Sir William Johnson. 

CHAPTER II 
THE BEGINNING OF THE BRITISH REGIME 

A new era of development begins to dawn on Penetang- 
uishene Bay, which prepares to heed the call of civilization. 
During the autumn of 1793 Governor Simcoe. who had served 
under General Haldimand, and knew of its existence and 
possibilities from the Royal Engineer, with Macdonnell, his 
secretary, and suite, visited the bay, coming by way of the 
Humber River, portaging over the Oak Ridges to the west 
branch of Holland River, down this river to Lake Simcoe, 
across the lake to the Narrows, through Lake Couchiching 
and down the Severn River to Matchedash Bay, thence to 
Prince William s (Beausoleil) Island with a view to establish 
a naval and military station as a base of supplies and for de 
fence. His deputy surveyor, Aitken, made a complete survey 
of the harbor and presented a full report in November of the 
same year. In 1798 the bay and islands were purchased from 
the Chippeways, under Treaty No. 5, for one hundred and 



PIONEER PAPERS 



one pounds in goods, faithfully and honorably executed on 
the part of the Indian tribes. Governor Simcoe, with his 
accustomed promptitude and energy, at once wrote to Lord 
Dorchester, Governor General, describing the superior ad 
vantages of the bay for naval and military purposes, request 
ing a force of fifty or one hundred men to begin operations 
without delay. Governor Simcoe dwelt strongly on the 
necessity of placing Canada in a state of defence not only 
against foreign foes, but to keep the Indians in awe of 
British power as well. Lord Dorchester was not worrying 
about foreign invasion or the danger from want of protection 
from the native races, and politely but firmly refused to com 
ply. Governors, at cross purposes, resulted in the early 
resignation of Governor Simcoe, and the project was deferred. 

In the early years of the succeeding century the Ameri 
can war began to loom upon the horizon. Meantime Gover 
nor Simcoe, with his tireless energy, continued to advocate 
the interests and advantages of his beloved province, Upper 
Canada, without ceasing. In a letter to Portland, Secretary 
of State, dated June l8th, 1795, he says : The proper sup 
port of the province would be a powerful addition to the 
British Empire by nursing up a great people," etc. In an 
other, to the same, dated February 27th, he says: "Pene- 
tanguishene will take the place of Michillimackinac." 
Again, on December 20th, 1794, to the Lords of Trade, he 
says: " Penetanguishene bids fair to become the most con 
siderable town in Upper Canada, as the passage to the 
Northwest will be established here." Governor Prevost 
wrote to Lord Bathurst on November 8th, i8l4, saying : "If a 
Post be established at Penetanguishene many of the difficul 
ties of transporting presents to the Indians will be removed." 
The fur-traders began to feel anxious about communication 
to the Northwest and their trade with the Indians should hos 
tilities begin with the United States, and strong representa 
tions were made, urging the authorities to take steps to open 
this proposed new route. 

The conclusion of the Treaty of Peace in 1783, commonly 
known as the Treaty of Versailles, had the effect of plunging 
the Canadian fur trade into a state of anxiety and unrest 
bordering on panic, arising from apprehended disturbances 
of traffic routes. There was just cause for alarm, the interests 
and operations being somewhat extensive for that period, in 
volving, according to a statement by James McGill, a promin 
ent merchant and trader of Montreal, to Governor Hamilton 



io PIONEER PAPERS 



in 1785, a sum total of 180,000 yearly no small item in the 
business of a new country. Considerable enterprise and 
capital had been expended by the various companies, princi 
pally by that known as the North-West Fur Co., of Montreal. 
The first adventurer went from Mackinaw in 1765, two years 
after the conquest, when their canoes were plundered at Lake 
La Pluye (Rainy Lake) by the Indians, and a like venture the 
following year met the same fortune. The year 1767 saw them 
again at Rainy Lake, where they were permitted to leave part 
of their goods and the canoes allowed to penetrate beyond 
Lake Ouinipique (Winnipeg). In 1769 the canoes were again 
plundered, but the following year they penetrated beyond 
Lake Bourbon, and thus on till 1774, during which new parts 
were discovered totally unknown to the French. This con 
tinued on down to 1782, by which time the Grand Portage, 
from the western extremity of Lake Superior, embracing a 
carrying place of about ten miles overland and through a 
chain of lakes and rivers to Lake Du Bois (Lake of the Woods) 
was firmly established. The North- West Fur Co, was formed 
during the following year, 1783, consequent upon the rumor 
ed provisions of the Treaty ordering the delivery of the west 
ern posts, and proposing for the international boundary 
west of Lake Superior, to follow the chain of lakes 
and waterways reaching to the Lake of the Woods, 
thereby relegating the Grand Portage, if not entirely 
to the United States, at least giving them equal access 
to the Canadian fur trade, with the Canadians themselves. 
This was the state of matters at the time of the Treaty 
of Versailles which, with a stroke of the pen, threatened 
to wrest the fruits of years of enterprise from the right 
ful owners and which caused such unwonted activity in Can 
adian fur traders of the west. Benjamin and Joseph Frobis- 
ber, as directors of the North-West Fur Co., in June, 1783, 
despatched Umfreville and St. Germain, two thoroughly 
trained Hudson Bay veterans, in search of a new passage at 
least forty leagues distant from the international boundary. 
They started at Lake Alempigon (Nipigon), and after much 
persevering toil, discovered a chain of lakes and rivers form 
ing a portage north of Lake Du Bois (Lake of the Woods) 
reaching to Lakes Bourbon and Ouinipique (Winnipeg) and 
the further West. 



Governor Haldimand was appealed to for assistance and 
encouragement, and in May, 1784, he authorized Capt. Daniel 



PIONEER PAPERS n 



Robertson, Commandant at Mackinaw, to proceed forthwith 
to explore for a site for a fort in the vicinity of Ste. Marie s 
Falls commanding the entrance to Lake Superior. Heretofore, 
two routes were available to those engaged in the northwest 
ern fur trade from Montreal : one via the Ottawa and Matta- 
wa rivers, across Lake Nippising, thence down the French 
River into the Georgian Bay ; the other, via St. Lawrence 
River, Lake Ontario and Niagara River, involving a seven 
mile portage round the Falls, Lake Erie and Detroit River 
into Lake Huron, both converging at the Falls of Ste. Marie, 
thence into Lake Superior, making the Grand Portage at its 
northwestern extremity for the distant fur regions of the west. 
The difficulties and dangers of the Ottawa route from the 
cataracts, rapid currents and numerous portages, there being 
upwards of forty between Montreal and Lake Huron, and 
from the extremely lengthy and roundabout route via the Ni 
agara and Detroit rivers, had long since suggested the dis 
covery, if possible, of a shorter and easier communication 
between Lakes Ontario and Huron, hence as far back as 
1761, four years previous to the adventure from Mackinaw, 
some person in the interest of the fur trade, had essayed to 
explore the possibilities of a route from Bay Kentie (Quinte) 
to Lake La Clie (Lake Simcoe), but nothing came of the 
project. 

In May, 1780, Capt. Mathews, Secretary to Governor 
Haldimand, in a letter to Col. Bolton, Commandant at Niaga 
ra, gave notice of a surveying party to be sent out to explore 
a communication with "Mackinaw by way of Toronto," which, 
later, developed into Yonge Street, extending to Holland 
River, under direction of Governor Simcoe. In July, 1/84. we 
find Messrs. Frobisher and McTavish of the North-West Co., 
at Mackinaw conferring with Capt. Robertson, "as to the 
communication between Lakes Ontario and Huron, that by 
way of Toronto being the only practicable one, greatly short 
ening the road and avoiding the Niagara Portage and any 
interference with our neighbors." Again in May, 1/85, Ben 
jamin Frobisher, still in expectation of an early delivery of 
the posts, is urging the claims of Toronto Carrying Place, 
and in a letter to Governor Hamilton of that date, proposed 
to avoid the Severn River portages by an overland route of 
eighteen miles from Lake Simcoe, making the distance from 
Toronto to Lake Huron, in a direct line, about one hundred 
miles, doubtless referring to the route from Lake Simcoe to 
the Coldwater River, known as the Indian Portage. The es- 



12 PIONEER PAPERS 



tablishment of this route as speedily as possible, he deems a 
necessity, intimating, among other matters, that this com 
munication "would add strength and security to our frontier." 
Here we have the first reference to a post on Lake Huron 
from a military standpoint. Thus it will be seen how the 
history of the Canadian fur trade led up to the inception of 
Penetanguishene as a Naval and Military station. However, 
the surrender of the posts did not occur so soon as anticipat 
ed. During the interval a substantial stone fort was erected 
at the mouth of the Kaministiquia River, the starting point on 
the newly-discovered portage, and named Fort William in 
honor of Wm. McGillivray, one of the partners of the North- 
West Co., destined later to become famous in connection with 
the fur trade as the annual rendezvous of the partners and 
adventurers of the west and where the many notable gather 
ings of fur traders took place, so vividly described in Wash 
ington Irving s "Astoria;" these annual re-unions continuing 
till the final absorption into the Hudson Bay Co. in 1821. The 
prospective loss of the frontier posts, likewise resulted in act 
ive efforts by the fur companies, backed up by Governor 
Simcoe during the years 1/93-94-95, for opening the new 
road to Lake Huron and for improving the fur routes. The 
final surrender of Forts Niagara, Detroit and Mackinaw, by 
the British, took place in 1796, belated thirteen years, on ac 
count of the non-fulfilment, by the United States, of import 
ant terms of the Treaty. This led to radical changes in the 
conditions Of the fur trade and the long looked-for difficulties 
soon became apparent. A new post was established on St. 
Joseph s Island, in 1/97, an embryo canal was cut at the foot 
of St. Mary s rapids, on the Canadian side, for the conveni 
ence of the fur companies. This was the modest forerunner 
of our fine canal system at the Sault, traces of which still re 
mained in 1886. The first note of disturbance was sounded 
in October, 1808, in a Memorial signed by Forsyth, Richard 
son & Co., and others, to Governor Craig, complaining of the 
seizure on Lake Ontario of eight batteaux by John Lees, Am 
erican Customs officer at Niagara. In November, 1811, Major- 
General Brock, in a despatch to the Earl of Liverpool, enclos 
ed a Memorial signed by Wm. McGillivray, Angus Shaw and 
others of the North-West Co. in which they stated : "We have 
been continually subjected to the vexatious interference of 
the U. S. Customs officials since 1796 and have had boats and 
property seized. We suggest the establishment of a road 
from Kempenfeldt Bay to Penetanguishene and will change 
our route in that direction as soon as practicable. We appeal 



PIONEER PAPERS 13 



for a grant of land at each end of the road . . . 2000 acres on 
Kempenf eldt Bay and 2000 acres at Penetanguishene . . . con 
sideration, 4000 in goods to be paid the Indians." Accord 
ingly, at the particular request of Angus Shaw, one of the 
partners in the North- West Co., a preliminary survey of the 
road from Kempenfeldt to Penetanguishene was completed 
on August I5th, 1812, by Surveyor Wilmot. Robt. Dickson, 
Commissary, in a letter to Noah Freer, Military Secretary, 
says, "if a road is to be cut, this is the best route," and con 
tinuing on the 2Qth Sept., 1813, to the same, says, "should our 
fleet be totally destroyed on Lake Erie, as we have reason to 
believe, the bay at Machedash or Penetanguishene are both 
good harbors, and there is plenty of excellent wood in the 
vicinity for constructing a vessel of any dimensions." In the 
sparse knowledge and ambiguous terms regarding these reg 
ions in those days, "Machedash" Bay had reference probably 
to "Christendom" Bay, known since as Midland Harbor, 
which thus narrowly escaped becoming the naval entrepot of 
.the north. However the case may be, an unsigned memor 
andum to Gen. Proctor, dated the 6th Oct., 1813, says, "Pene 
tanguishene bay is an excellent harbor and easy of access 
from Lake Huron ; the entrance in to it not half a gun shot 
across and the ground very commanding. Near to the water s 
edge is the finest oak and pine timber that can be imagined. 
Here (if there are ship s stores in the country for the purpose) 
vessels might be built in the winter to command Lake Huron 
and secure the Indians notwithstanding our being driven 
from Lake Erie." Earl Bathurst, Secretary of State, in a des 
patch to Sir George Prevost dated Dec. 3rd, 1813, gave the 
necessary authority to erect block houses and other defences 
and build and fit out vessels to meet the enemy. While hold 
ing these deliberations and coming to these decisions, stir 
ring events were happening elsewhere in Canada. The re 
capture of Mackinaw (which had been captured by Canadi 
ans in 1812) was contemplated by the Americans and the 
garrison supplies threatened. 



14 PIONEER PAPERS 



CHAPTER III. 
THE WAR OF 1812-15 

The American war still dominating public effort and the 
country s resources, the command of the fur routes had be 
come of secndary importance to that of military and naval 
routes and the transport of war supplies. An acute stage of 
the situation calling for urgent supplies for the garrison at 
Mackinaw in case of siege, diverted the attention of the au 
thorities for a time from the establishment of the new post, 
and the work of clearing the military road to Penetangui- 
shene. An attempt had been made in the latter end of 1813 
by Commissary Crookshank to transport a supply of provis~ 
ions to Mackinaw by way of York and Matchedash, but the 
batteaux with their loads were frozen in the ice on Lake Sim- 
coe. In January, 1814, Commissary Crookshank wrote to 
General Drummond that "he had consulted with Surveyor 
Wilmot and several credible persons and all agreed that it 
would be impracticable to transport anything by that route 
previous to a road being cut upwards of thirty miles in 
length, requiring two hundred men at least three weeks be 
fore it could be made passable, and in case of deep snow it 
could not be done at all." On account of the delay and diffi 
culty Mr. Crookshank made arrangements for forwarding the 
supplies to Nottawasaga Bay, a distance of only twenty miles 
fiom Penetanguishene. "The opening of this road to the 
Nottawasaga River will take twelve men for about ten days 
and in a short time he will commence sending stores across." 
Gen. Drummond added, "this will be a somewhat expensive 
proceeding, but I see no alternative." The projected military 
road was, therefore, left in abeyance and a temporary portage 
opened to the Nottawasaga River where a block-house was 
built and where by 2/th April thirty batteaux had been built, 
loaded and set sail under Col. McDouall with provisions for 
the relief of Mackinaw. The futile siege of Mackinaw, the 
destruction of the Schooner Nancy at the mouth of the Notta 
wasaga, loaded with provisions, the capture of the U. S. gun 
boats Scorpion and Tigress, a series of dramatic events fol- 



PIONEER PAPERS 15 



lowing each other in rapid succession during the summer and 
autumn are matters of history. The naval supremacy on 
Lake Huron had been secured, and to hold the same and 
avoid a repetition of the "Nancy episode," attention was 
again turned to the new post. In November, 1814, Surgeon 
Dunlop of the 8Qth Regiment, known as "Tiger Dunlop," 
heading a company of soldiers, sappers and miners, opened 
the military road from Lake Simcoe to Penetanguishene Bay 
under direction of the Military authorities. It was little more 
than a mere backwoods trail, and way-stations were erected 
at intervals of twenty miles for shelter, built of poles covered 
with cedar and hemlock boughs and open in front. The last 
one stood just south of the present site of Wyebridge. 

Dr. William Dunlop, who has been referred to as one of the 
"forgotten heroes of 1812," was born at Keppoch House, 
Dumbartonshire, in 1/92, and migrated to Canada in 1813 
from the Army Depot, Isle of Wight. As surgeon, he was at 
Fort Wellington attending the wounded from the battle of 
Chrysler s Farm ; then at Gananoque, Kingston, Toronto and 
at the si^ge of Fort Erie, where, it is said, he went into the 
firing line and carried on his back several of the wounded to 
safety, one of whom was a corpse when he reached hospital 
quarters, having received a second bullet on the way which 
thus saved Dunlop s life. Next we find him engineering the 
construction of the military road to Penetanguishene, during 
which he got benighted in the bush with his dog and could 
no longer see the trail. He dug a hole in the snow and laid 
down for the night, which was extremely cold, with his little 
dog on his breast. Next day the dog died, while his master s 
limbs were frozen and were only saved from amputation by 
weeks of careful nursing. He was called home with his 
Regiment to the aid of Wellington in his arduous campaign 
against Napoleon and missed the battle of Waterloo by a 
day through the late sailing of the transport. His Regiment 
was called to India where he entered into a contract with the 
Government to rid the Island of Saugar in the Ganges of tig 
ers, which he accomplished by using a chemical composition, 
one of the ingredients being tobacco, and throwing the dust 
in their eyes, and which proved a success, till jungle fever 
ended the project and he returned to England. This earned 
for him the soubriquet of "Tiger Dunlop." He was appointed 
Warden of the Forests for the Canada Co., under John Gait, 
and returned to Canada in 1826. He was also author of the 
Backwoodsman. He founded the Toronto Literary Society 



16 PIONEER PAPERS 



in 1836 and was elected to represent the Huron District, suc 
ceeding his brother, Capt. R. G. Dunlop, in 1841. He was 
later appointed Superintendent of the Lachine Canal, holding 
that position till his death in 1848 at the age of 56 years. His 
remains are deposited in the Cairn at Gairbraid, near Goder- 
ich, once his rustic wilderness home. 

At the completion of the military road, following fast 
upon the heels of Dr. Dunlop, came Capt. Cockburn, attended 
by fifty axemen and a detachment of sappers and miners 
under Capt. Payne of the Royal Engineers to build a block 
house at Penetanguishene. On the iQth of Nov., 1814, Col. 
Poyntz had reported a new survey of Penetanguishene Harb 
or, and on the 26th of the same month, Sir James Yeo, in re 
porting progress to Prevost at the new post, announced that 
he would build a 44 gun frigate to be armed with 24- and 32- 
pounders, that Capt. Collier would take charge of the vessel 
carrying the guns, the armament and outfit at York, and that 
two schooners had gone around to Penetanguishene to cut 
timber. (In Penetanguishene and Barrie, Poyntz street is 
named in honor of Col. Poyntz who made the second survey 
of the harbor, and Collier street, Barrie, perpetuates the 
name of Commodore Collier). 

On the arrival of the various contingents, accompanied by 
a detachment of the Canadian Fencibles under Capt. Caldwell 
and Lieut. Evans, the forces encamped on the slope slightly 
west and north of the present site of the Ontario Asylum for 
the Insane. The first domicile was a temporary hut of poles 
covered with cedar boughs, open in front and warmed by a 
blazing log-heap. The hut of Commodore Collier was rather 
more spacious than that of the others and had a further dis 
tinction, as from its roof floated the Red Ensign of the Navy, 
the "Meteor Flag of England," guarding the inland seas, a 
tangible evidence of the far-reaching arm of Britain s naval 
and military power. Their nearest neighbors were Indians 
accounted as savage and wild beasts still more savage. The 
snow lay three feet deep and wolves howled their nightly 
chorus. Sometime in the latter end of 1814 the British mili 
tary authorities appointed Sir George Head of Carshalton, 
Surrey, England, as military commissary to supervise the 
erection of the new post on Penetanguishene Bay. Sir George 
Head was a Colonel in the 85th Regiment, an elder brother of 
Sir Francis Bond Head, who later became Governor of Upper 
Canada, and was a prominent actor of Canadian Rebellion 



PIONEER PAPERS 17 



fame. Col. Head arrived in Halifax in November and on the 
7th December left Halifax with one servant on an overland 
journey across Nova Scotia, Bay of Fundy, New Brunswick, 
River St Lawrence, Lower and Upper Canada (Quebec and 
Ontario) in the dead of winter, travelling by horse convey 
ance, snowshoe, toboggan and dog-sleigh, sleeping in huts, 
and camping out over night by the way, enduring untold 
hardships one of the most remarkable journeys on record, 
full of romance and difficulty. His experiences and hair 
breadth escapes in crossing the Bay of Fundy and the St. 
Lawrence amid floating ice in mid-winter rival fairy tales in 
romance. Soldier as he was, too, Col. Head appeared singu 
larly at the mercy of every meek and unpretending money 
"sharp," and in these days of electric motors and steam rail 
ways, it seems strange to read that the herald of British 
power was obliged to pay ($80) eighty dollars for a trip of 
132 miles across Nova Scotia, ($18) eighteen dollars for 20 
miles from Annapolis to Digby and ($28) twenty-eight dollars 
for the journey from St. John to Fredericton, (8l) eighty-one 
miles. However, he ultimately reached Holland Landing, 
where a number of English shipwrights overtook him on their 
way to the new post and in company they crossed Lake Sim- 
coe on the ice, staying over night at a log house on the shore of 
Kempenfeldt Bay,built for shelter andstoring supplies nearthe 
foot of the new military road. The parties found shelter next 
night at the way-station below Wyebridge where the Cana 
dian axemen, following two days later, erected an additional 
hut for their own accommodation. Col. Head and his party 
travelled with a sleigh and team of horses, and the last ten 
miles of the road was so bad (the best of it filled with stumps 
and roots) that for hundreds of yards together they were com 
pelled to unhitch the team and lift the sleigh over fallen trees 
and other obstructions. On reaching Wyebridge he turned 
down the Wye River, which was then called the Yeo River, 
and following Mud Lake to the outlet, crossed Midland 
(Christendom) Bay, then pursuing the eastern shore of the 
outer Penetanguishene harbor for about three miles, landed 
at the cove about where the coal docks are now situated. Col. 
Head arrived at his appointed destination on the 28th day of 
February, 1815, where he found Commodore Collier and his 
companions encamped as already stated, having preceeded 
him a few days. Col. Head erected his hut and slept in it 
the same night near the site of the Officers quarters close to 
the shore. In addition to being of the same material, he adds 
the dimensions, which were (10) ten feet long, (8) eight feet 



i8 PIONEER PAPERS 



wide and (6) six feet high and open in front, and (4) four feet 
high at the back, warmed by a blazing log-heap. (Head s 
"Forest Scenes.") 



Col. Head s slumbers, during the first night on Penetang- 
uishene Bay were sound, probably from weariness and toil, 
though disturbed occasionally by the noise of jolly songs and 
laughter from the shipwrights mess, hutted together under 
similar conditions not far away. In his "Forest Scenes" he 
tells us "his bed was made of spruce boughs spread on the 
ground, covered with a blanket and a sack of potatoes for his 
pillow" far from luxurious surroundings for a Colonel of the 
British army so recently from the "old sod." He also gives 
us an amusing account of his attempts at making an improv 
ised bed-stead of four forked sticks driven in the ground 
across which poles were laid, tied and woven across back and 
forth and lengthwise with basswood bark ; also his amateur 
efforts at learning to use the axe and cutting down trees. 
Next day, March 1st, towards evening his gang of Canadian 
axemen arrived from York (Toronto) and, like the others, 
built their temporary shelter before night. Early next morn 
ing operations for building the first Block-House, log-cutting 
and clearing, began, the site selected being "on top of the 
brow close above the bay," which a later authority places 
about two hundred yards from the shore and which would fix 
the location somewhere between the present site of the Asyl 
um and that of the Medical Superintendent s residence. Its 
dimensions were to be twenty-one feet by eighteen, square 
roofed, shingled top and sides shear to the bottom, with split 
cedar shingles, obtained from cedar trees cut along the shore 
towards the north near what is known as "Gordon s Point." 
Seventy years later the moss-covered stumps of the same 
trees cut by these pioneers could still be seen. While the 
axemen were clearing away the forest and erecting houses 
and the various operations were in progress, a sudden thaw 
set in, followed by a sharp frost, covering the bay with a 
smooth surface of ice. Col. Head mounted on a pair of skates 
went over the glare ice and peered into almost every corner 
of the bay, which he reckoned at seven miles long and from 
two to three miles across, this, doubtless including both the 
outer and inner harbors. While on this exploration he dis 
covered an Indian enveloped in a buffalo skin fishing 
through the ice, and his efforts to solve the mystery were 
somewhat dramatic and amusing. Like the storied riders of 



PIONEER PAPERS 19 



the plains he coursed round and round the object of his sus 
picions, in ever narrowing circles till the Indian suddenly re 
vealed himself by throwing off his covering. Mutual exchang 
es followed in pantomime to one a novel and interesting 
experience to both an infinite surprise. The Indian had cut 
a hole about a foot square in the ice which was three feet 
thick and had for bait a basswood imitation of a fish, with 
tin fins and leaden eyes. Col. Head also refers to the "dole 
ful reverberations of the imprisoned winds under the ice, 
which he heard for the first time, "sometimes resembling the 
notes from an ^olian harp," and which he likens to the 
"copper thunder of the stage in a theatre." While working 
near the shore he found a three-legged iron kettle, a derelict, 
abandoned by some fur trader or careless Indian. With it, 
his servant improvised an oven by placing the dough on 
two crossed sticks within the kettle, a piece of tin for cover 
and immersing it in the hot coals result, an appetising loaf, 
his first experience in pioneer bread-baking. When Col. 
Head first reached Penetanguishene Bay, he said there was 
not a log house in sight, which may have been true, when it 
is realized that a dense forest encircled the group of huts 
resembling an Indian encampment minus the wigwams, hid 
ing all else from view. The bay, however, was known to 
have been, at an earlier period, a rendezvous for fur traders. 
There was a deserted trader s hut near the present site of the 
"Penetanguishene" summer hotel, another near the old Naval 
depot opposite Magazine Island, which the military after 
wards utilized as a blacksmith s forge, and another still on 
Pinery Point near the "Roiling Sands," built by Johnston of 
the Sault about 1799. In addition to these was the old struct 
ure known as the Chaplain s residence, recently burned, 
which, though renovated and rebuilt for the residence of 
Aojutant Keating, with its broad double chimneys, quaint 
gables and "habitant style, pointed to an earlier date in the 
eighteenth century when Count La Ronde, in the interests of 
the North-West Fur Co., frequented the islands of the North 
Shore. Here the question of the deserted iron kettle recurs. 
Who left it there, and why ? Various other facts and circum 
stances point to Penetanguishene Bay as a one-time fur trad 
ers resort of an earlier day. The nearest inhabited dwelling 
was that of the trader Cowan at the Chimneys over twenty 
miles away. Cowan was a Scotch trader who located there 
in the previous century and is said to have imported thoro 
ughbred cattle direct from Scotland. He was lost in the 
schooner "Speedy" in 1805 on his way to attend court at 



20 PIONEER PAPERS 



Presqu Isle, near Brighton, when the vessel sank with the 
judge, prisoner and witnesses, and all on board perished. 

By the 8th of March the first block-house was finished 
and Col. Head had his few belongings packed ready for 
moving, when an Indian on snow shoes appeared with a des 
patch from headquarters at York with instructions to return 
forthwith to Kempenfeldt Bay. The Indian messenger had 
letters for the others as well and the "whole establishment 
was to be broken up." The Canadians set to work at once, 
improving the remnant of time in making hand-sleighs to 
carry the baggage. Accordingly, on the morning of the 10th 
of March the whole party, led by Col. Head, Commodore 
Collier, Capt. Payne and Lieut. Evans, followed by the axe 
men and shipwrights, began their retreat, leaving behind the 
embryo naval station with its single block-house and three 
or four other half-finished log structures surrounded by a 
small clearing on the hillside. It must have been an exceed 
ingly droll procession as they scampered away, breaking and 
overturning each other s sleighs in their frolics. The comp 
any walked over the ice towards the mouth of the bay, fol 
lowing the track by which they came, to the first way-station 
below Wyebridge, where they stayed over night. In choosing 
the roundabout way up the Yeo River instead of the newly- 
cut military trail which was shorter and more direct leading 
straight from the "establishment," they wished primarily to 
avail themselves of the advantages of ice and snow for the 
sleighs, but it also furnished a scathing comment on the state 
of this road through the wilderness as a desirable highway. 
Next day the party arrived at Kempenfeldt Bay, Col. Head 
and the officers occupying the same house in which the form 
er had found shelter on the previous trip, the axemen and 
shipwrights being quartered in a house recently built for stor 
ing supplies for the navy. Here Col. Head enjoyed the luxu 
ry of a "hammock," but had the misfortune to fall out of it, 
cutting his head and demolishing a gold watch. On the I5th 
of March letters were received from headquarters, with orders 
for Commodore Collier and Lieut. Evans with the shipwrights 
to proceed to York, which they accordingly did by leaving 
the same day over the ice. Col. Head was left with his Cana 
dian axemen busying themselves with building a dock, a new 
house at the head of Kempenfeldt Bay for storing supplies, 
and clearing the portage to Willow Creek preparatory to erect 
ing a block-house there, a Fort near the mouth of the Notta- 
wasaga River, and various other duties, until the i6th June, 



PIONEER PAPERS 21 



when he received orders to return to Quebec, and we take 
leave of him and his Canadians. This interesting stage in 
the history of the Penetanguishene enterprise affords scope 
for the fancy as to pioneer conditions and serves to recall, in 
imagination, the vast extent, influence and power of military 
and naval operations as well as the sharp contrast between 
the rapid transit of the present day and the slow conveyance 
and the tardy transmission of news in those davs. 

Great events had transpired of vital importance to Cana 
da. It will be remembered that the treaty of peace between 
Great Britain and the United States was signed at Ghent on 
December I4th, 1814, and ratified at Washington on I/th of 
Feb., 1815; still these war-like and expensive operations on the 
Georgian Bay continued till within two days of the Battle of 
Waterloo, in entire ignorance of the fact by the actors con 
cerned. It may also serve to recall the fact of former Gover 
nors at cross purposes as one of the factors, possibly, in this 
sudden change of base. On the 9th Nov., 1814, in a despatch 
from Drummond to Prevost, in the Archives, he announces 
his decision to establish a naval post at Turkey Point on 
Lake Erie, that at Penetanguishene being impracticable. In 
another, Prevost to Bathurst, Dec. 2nd of the same year, he 
says, "the naval establishment at Penetanguishene is in oper 
ation. Drummond soon discovered how impracticable it 
would be to construct, at Turkey Point, the two vessels pro 
posed by Yeo." (Archives 1896, pages 44 and 45.) The in 
spiring motive, however, for the sudden change was the 
prospect of further trouble with the United States regarding 
their treatment of the Indians in terms of the recent treaty. 
A despatch of Aug. 2/th, 1815, Drummond to Bathurst, says, 
"The American officer commanding at Mackinaw, as reported 
by McDouall, admits that the United States are debarred by 
treaty from constructing fons upon Indian territory which 
they did not possess before the war, but still it was determ 
ined upon and should be done." (Archives 1896, page 89.) 
To prepare for this emergency in part and to furnish supplies 
and provisions for the garrison being erected on Drummond 
Island, the new post chosen when Mackinaw was surrendered 
to the Americans on July l/th, 1815, was the ostensible pur 
pose of the sudden change of base and preparations for the 
erection of the block-house on Willow Creek and the fort at 
the mouth of the Nottawasaga River. 



22 PIONEER PAPERS 



CHAPTER IV. 
EVENTS SUCCEEDING THE WAR 

Operations at Penetanguishene post, however, were not 
suspended for long, though not very active. A few of the 
"Canadian Fencibles" were left in charge and by the follow 
ing spring the Sergeants house and Soldiers and Seaman s 
barracks were completed and the location for the shipyard 
and docks along the shore nearly opposite Magazine Island 
cleared and under way. In October of 1816 the embryo post 
was favored with a visit from Sir Robert Hall who had the 
same year succeeded Capt. W. F. W. Owen, K.C.B., who was 
in November of the previous year appointed in succession to 
Sir James Yeo, and who had in turn superseded Commander 
Earle in 1813 a considerable shuffling in official positions 
consequent upon the closing of the war and the reduction of 
Naval establishments. Barlow Cumberland, in his "Navies of 
1812," (Ontario Historical Society, Vol. VIIL, page 138), 
quoting from Williams Diary, says : "Lieut. Williams was 
appointed as Commander of His Majesty s schooner Surprise 
by Capt. Sir Robert Hall, K.C.B., Commander of His Ma 
jesty s ships on the lakes of Canada, dated 26th October, 
1816, from His Majesty s Naval Establishment on Lake 
Huron, : which was then at Penetanguishene. On the 28th 
April, 1817, the Rush-Bagot convention between the United 
States and Great Britain was arranged confining armaments 
on the lower lakes to one gun-boat and on the upper lakes, 
viz. : Lakes Erie, Huron, Michigan and Superior, to two gun 
boats not exceeding loo tons burden. In accord with this 
arrangement we find the gun-boats "Confiance" and "Sur 
prise in the shelter of Penetanguishene harbor, the former in 
command of Lieut. Grant, R.N., and the latter in command of 
Lieut. Williams, R.N., in 1817, who returned to England the 
latter part of the same year. Lieut. Williams had been trans 
ferred from the gun-boat "Beresford" on Lake Ontario, for it 
must be remembered there was, as yet, no Welland Canal 
through which vessels could transfer from the lower to the 
upper takes. The "Confiance" and "Surprise" were the two 



PIONEER PAPERS 23 



gun-boats the "Scorpion" and "Tigress" captured from the 
Americans on Lake Huron near Mackinaw in the latter part 
of 1814 and re-named. Sir James Yep and Commodore W. 
F. W. Owen returned to the sea, requisitioned by the British 
Admiralty, the latter having instituted the hydrographic 
survey of Canadian waters before he left and under whom 
Admiral Bayfield served his cadetship on the Canadian lakes. 
This visit of Sir Robt. Hall was probably in pursuance of 
suggestions in a previous letter of July I2th in which he 
recommends that defensive works be thrown up at Pene- 
tanguishene when the Naval establishment is removed there 
from Nottawasaga. (Hall to Croker, Archives, 1896, page 

I73-) 

By the autumn of 1817 William Wilson was permanently 
installed as the first shipwright of the garrison and the build 
ing of the powder magazine on the island begun under direc 
tion of James Warren, grandfather of the Gidley family, 
artificer to the Navy. A. F. Hunter, in his "History of Sim- 
coe County," Vol. I., page 38, says : "Owing to the bad 
harbor, the post at Nottawasaga was not kept up for more 
than about two years and in 1818 the garrison was perman 
ently removed to Penetanguishene." In spite of this fact Sir 
Richard Bonnycastle, Commander of the Forces, in 1831 
made a trip across the Penetanguishene Portage of seven 
miles to Nottawasaga Bay accompanied by an Indian carry 
ing a bark canoe, sailing thence to the mouth of the river for 
the purpose of examining its adaptability for boat-building 
and a harbor for shipping. Magazine Island, originally 
"Beaver Island," of the Ojibway Indians, was first named 
"Dobson s Isle" by the British military authorities in honor of 
Midshipman Dobson who, under Col. Worsley, was one of the 
prominent actors in the capture of the American gun-boats, 
"Scorpion" and "Tigress," in 1814. The island, after the 
block-house for storing ammunition was built thereon, acquir 
ed, by common consent, the name which it has ever since 
retained. 

William Wilson, the first shipwright of the garrison, ap 
pointed as its permanent head, was born in Whitby, York 
shire, England, in 1787, and went to India with his brother, 
Capt. Wilson who died of yellow fever there. On the return 
voyage the ship was captured by French privateers and Wil 
son imprisoned in various places in France for four years, 
during which time he suffered much ill treatment and hard- 



24 PIONEER PAPERS 



ship, money sent him by the British Government and relatives 
often failing to reach him. On his release, he came direct 
to Canada, arriving in Toronto, then known as "Muddy York" 
and "Muddy Little York" in Sept., 1813. The only brick 
building in Toronto at that time (which is probably identified 
in Robertson s "Landmarks") was the tavern in which he 
lodged. He left Toronto in November via Yonge Street port 
age for Holland Landing, crossing Lake Simcoe on the 29th 
November in an open boat to the head of Kempenfeldt Bay. 
The cold was so intense that a young officer of the company 
died while crossing the lake. Arriving at the spot where 
Barrie now stands they dug a grave on the slope near the site 
of the present post office where the remains of the unfortunate 
young soldier were buried and over which they hastily built 
a "cairn" of small stones, the body later to be claimed by 
relatives in the old land and removed to England. The party 
then portaged across to the Nottawasaga River, which they 
followed to its mouth, where they were frozen in for the 
winter. Capt. Douglas was the officer in charge. They built 
a hut of spruce boughs in which they passed a somewhat 
dreary winter. Their supplies having failed to reach them 
they were compelled to subsist on bread baked in the hot 
ashes, and tea made of hemlock boughs steeped in water for 
drink, and in various ways eke out the scanty fare during 
the weary months. This was a taste of real pioneering for 
which they had not bargained. As soon as the ice broke up 
they set sail making a portage of seven miles from a point 
on the eastern shore of Nottawasaga Bay at what was later 
known as King s Mills near Randolph, and arriving at Pene- 
tanguishene Bay early in the spring of 1814. This was doubt 
less a sort of "advance guard or scouting party" sent for the 
purpose of locating a depot for supplies, as we find A. F. 
Hunter, in his "History of Simcoe County," page 37, Vol. L, 
says : "When the two American frigates, or armed schooners, 
came to blockade the Nottawasaga, an Indian runner was 
dispatched to Penetanguishene, where a Naval Depot had 
just been located, to announce the arrival of the American 
boats." Furthermore, Jacob Gill, who subsequently built 
some of the works at Penetanguishene garrison, was sent by 
Government to open the Nottawasaga portage in 1813, and 
the expedition, headed by Capt. Douglas, must have taken 
place after the portage was opened and before the expedition 
under Col. McDouall which, as all know, passed early in 1814, 
or Capt. Douglas party would not have been compelled to 
build themselves huts for shelter and after which the depot 




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PIONEER PAPERS 25 



for supplies may have been located. We have no information 
as to the outcome of Capt Douglas expedition, but later, as 
before mentioned, we find Mr. Wilson installed as head ship 
wright in command of the new dock-yards at Penetangui- 
shene Bay. His first work was the erection of the "Naval 
Depot" for storing supplies, known later as the "Old Red 
Store," 120 feet long by 60 feet broad, three stories in height, 
enclosed in heavy pallisading of cedar from six to eight inches 
in diameter and twelve feet high, from which a dock extend 
ed into the water reaching to a depth of thirty feet. Extend 
ing northward from the Depot, along the shore, were the 
shipyards and additional dockage. He laid the keel for the 
44-guri frigate which never materialized, the fittings and ap 
purtenances sent from the old country being appropriated on 
the way, in the stress of war times, for the loo-gun double- 
decker "St. Lawrence," at Kingston, which was completed in 
time to celebrate by one trip to Toronto and return, in antici 
pation, the conclusion of peace. She was re-christened the 
"Prince Regent," and never sailed again. Mr. Wilson, in 
1827, married Miss Henrietta Jeffs, daughter of Robert Jeffs 
who settled on the Military road near Wyebridge in 1819. 
They went to Toronto, walking a great part of the way, and 
were married by Bishop Strachan, the only minister in this 
region permitted by law, at that time, to perform the marriage 
rite, in preference to being married by a Justice of the Peace. 
Mr. Wilson received his discharge and retired on a pension 
in 1833 and took up land near Mr. Jeffs on the old Military 
road, where he died in 1870 in the 84th year of his age, his 
wife having pre-deceased him in 1854. Mr. Wilson was the 
first Sexton of Old St. James Military Church, which position 
he held for many years. He is remembered still by some of 
the older residents, and is recalled as a genial gentleman of 
the old school, a familiar figure of venerable mien wearing 
plain gold rings in his ears. He was always accompanied 
by a small dog on his visits, who, upon command, would al 
ways bring the old gentleman s hat, when ready to go. The 
Jeffs family, of whom there were two sons, Robert and Ed 
ward, supplied the garrison for many vears with choice beef 
cattle. Robert Jeffs, the elder, drew land from the govern 
ment and settled the first summer on the flats near Mud Lake 
which being swampy the family were attacked with fever, 
after which they moved upon the hill, near the old adobe 
dwelling, built later by his son Edward, of brick or tile made 
of clay mixed with straw. A shallow hole was dug in the 
ground and the sides thrown up after the fashion of a circus 



26 PIONEER PAPERS 



ring into which the dampened clay and straw, chopped fine 
with the axe, were thrown and on which a yoke of oxen were 
driven round to mix them. They transplanted apple trees in 
1820 brought from old Fort Ste. Marie on the Wye River, 
left there by the Jesuits. Hannah Wilson, a daughter ^of 
the former shipwright, married J, McLean Ross, an account 
ant in the Commissary department of the garrison; Mrs. Ross 
died on the old homestead in 1907 at the age of 75 years, 
highly respected by all in that vicinity. At her death several 
of the apple trees were still bearing fruit, though over 85 
years old, and at this writing (1912) remains of the old adobe 
dwelling are still visible. The remains of Robert Jeffs, Sr., 
his wife, and son Robert, Mr. and Mrs. Wilson, occupy name 
less graves near the old Military road on Lot No. 101, Tiny, 
now owned by Wm. Smith; also those of Sergeant Crawford, 
an early settler. With Mr. Wilson was associated an assist 
ant shipwright named Robert Johnstone. 

The year 1818 was an eventful one for the new post, 
which, in addition to the removal of the works from Nottawa- 
saga here, was marked by many new activities. A hospital, 
guard-house and doctor s residence, all primitive log build 
ings, were erected and a Surgeon appointed. The first Sur 
geon of the garrison was Dr. Todd who, after an arduous 
service of about eleven years sleeps beneath one of the name 
less mounds on Magazine Island. He always maintained 
that he would go like the snuffing out of a candle, suiting the 
action to the word, and such was his end. This year also 
marks the advent of the first "canteen" or caravansary, which 
ultimately developed into the "Masonic Arms," a double log 
structure situated on the pinacle of the hill facing Magazine 
Island. It was erected by Thos. Johnstone, a silk mercer of 
London, whose wife claimed descent from the Earls of Darn- 
ley and who moved in the charmed circles of Belgravia. 
They enjoyed the distinction of being married in Westminster 
Abbey and having a quaint silver tea pot presented to them 
at the same time by a friend, forthwith leaving for Canada, 
arriving at Fort Gwillim (Holland Landing) in 1813. Mr. 
Johnstone was among the first to reach Penetanguishene Bay 
with the Military pioneers, returning in a short time to Hol 
land Landing and Vespra where they took up land. Obtain 
ing a "concession at the new garrison from the authorities, 
for canteen purposes, they returned to the establishment, once 
again, to conduct the new enterprise. The Masonic Arms. 
became a noted caravansary in its day, entertaining many 



PIONEER PAPERS 27 



noted travellers and titled personages as guests, among them 
being the Duke of Richmond, Governor-General of Canada, 
one of the first, just before his death, on a visit of military 
inspection ; Sir John Franklin, the arctic explorer ; Sir John 
Ross, R.N.; the Duke of Northumberland; Lord Stanley, father 
of Canada s recent Governor-General (180.0) ; John Gait, head 
of the "Canada Company"; Lady Jamieson, the traveller and 
authoress ; Sir John Colborne, Governor and Commander of 
the Forces ; besides many famous scholars and others. The 
silver tea pot, which always had a prominent place in these 
lordly social functions, is sacredly cherished and preserved 
by a descendant living in Penetanguishene at this present 
writing (1912). Mr. Johnstone was a Free Mason, which ac 
counts for the name of the caravansary, and his remains 
occupy the second nameless mound on Magazine Island. He 
was buried under Masonic auspices, the rite being performed 
by two officers from the garrison, in 1830, probably the first 
Masonic burial in this region. His son, the late Frank John- 
stone, born at the "Masonic Arms" in 1823 and well known 
here, died in 1907. Mrs. Johnstone subsequently married 
Robert Wallace and continued the "Masonic Arms" for many 
years and is recalled by numbers of the older residents. Her 
remains are deposited in St. James cemetery close to the 
portals. 

About the same time Asher Mundy drew lots Nos. 112 
and 113 on the Military road in Tay from government as a 
U. E. Loyalist and started a canteen, moving there from the 
Nottawasaga where they had kept a canteen also. (See A. 
F. Hunter s "History of Simcoe County," Vol. I., page 22.) 
Asher Mundy, who was very deaf, migrated from Kansas to 
Toronto in 1812. He was present during the attack of the 
Americans and received a bullet wound in his arm and saw 
the explosion when Col. Grey and his men were blown up. 
He originally belonged to the Society of Friends (Quakers) 
but joined the Presbyterians on reaching Canada. The first 
town meeting of Tiny and Tay was held at Asher Mundy s 
canteen in 1832, Jan. 2nd; Samuel Fraser, who became Reeve 
of Tay and Midland ; James Warren, who built the Magazine; 
and Jacob Gill, who built the Barracks, were present. Asher 
Mundv had one son, Israel Mundy, who ran a batteau and 
carried goods from Nottawasaga round to Penetanguishene. 
He was also with Admiral Bayfield in the survey of the lakes, 
and on one occasion on Lake Erie, a storm rising, they were 
compelled to run into Buffalo Harbor with only the jib flying. 



28 PIONEER PAPERS 



Israel was light-house keeper at Christian Island for many 
years, dying in 1888, aged 97 years. His son was the late 
Michael Mundy, carriage-maker in the town for many years, 
well known and wealthy. Mrs. Asher Mundy often sold 
apples to the soldiers at the garrison, which she drew on a 
small wagon or hand-sleigh. The apples were from trees 
transplanted from Fort Ste. Marie on the Wye from stock 
planted by the Jesuits. The canteen was about two miles 
below the garrison, and the cricket ground half way between. 
Its site may still be discerned on lot 113, marked by a few 
apple trees of wild growth and a mound, the remains of the 
cellar, now the property of the Canada Iron Corporation of 
Midland. A little further down and just beyond the swamp 
near Midland was the "Whalen" clearing still marked by a 
few apple trees of stunted growth. Up to this time, these, 
with the Jeffs farm near Wyebridge, located in 1819, were 
the only clearings aside from the garrison, and no roads but 
the Military make-shift. 

As before stated, Lieut. Williams, who was in command 
of the gun-boat "Surprise," had returned to England, and 
Lieut. Jackson, R.N., was appointed his successor. The "Con- 
fiance" was commanded by Capt. Grant, R.N. These two 
gun-boats were held in ordinary as the allotment permitted 
to Canada according to the Rush-Bagot convention of 1817. 
We have been unable so far to gather any facts as to who 
Lieut. Jackson, R.N., and Capt. Grant, R.N., were. The latter 
may have been a son of the Capt. Grant who was for a short 
time Commodore on the Canadian lakes in the latter part of 
the eighteenth century under Gov. Haldimand s regime. Of 
Lieut. Williams we have some interesting particulars. He 
returned to Canada in 1818 and became an honored and valu 
ed citizen. From Barlow Cumberland s "Navies of 1812," 
(Ontario Historical Society, Vol. VIII., 1907), we glean the 
following : "Lieut. John Tucker Williams, R.N., was born in 
Wales and served as Midshipman under Nelson at Copen 
hagen in 1801, coming to Canada with Sir James Yeo and 
serving on the lower lakes till 1816 and retiring to England 
shortly after. On his return to Canada in 1818 he brought 
despatches from Earl Bathurst to the Duke of Richmond 
granting him a lot of land near Port Hope, where he settled 
and which he named Penrhyn Park, after his estate in 
Wales. He was elected to Parliament as Member for the 
united counties of Durham and Northumberland, serving from 
1841 to 1848." He died at "Penrhyn Park" in 1854. His eld- 








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PIONEER PAPERS 29 



est son, Lieut. Col. Arthur Williams, was afterwards an hon 
ored citizen of Port Hope and became an M.P. and a promin 
ent actor in the Northwest Rebellion of 1885 where he was 
taken ill and died while on service. A national monument 
has been erected to his memory in Port Hope. The writer 
was personally acquainted with Col. Williams and the pre 
cincts of "Penrhyn Park." Two of his sons are Lieut.-Col. 
Victor Williams of the Royal Canadian Dragoons and Lieut. 
Stanhope Williams of the Royal Canadian Regiment of 
Infantry. 

There are more than eight wrecks of war vessels repos 
ing beneath the waters of Penetanguishene Harbor, four of 
which, viz.: the "Scorpion," ("Confiance"); the "Tigress," 
("Surprise"); the "Naawash," and the "Tecumseh," claim 
more than a passing notice. 

The gun-boats "Surprise" and "Confiance" were rated at 
96 tons and 86 tons burthen, respectively, well within the pre 
scribed limits of the Rush-Bagot arrangement, but their duties 
as guardians of the main, patrolling the Huron waters, were 
veryli^ht; in fact, merely a sinecure. They were used in 
ordinary, principally in carrying supplies from Nottawasaga 
River and other points to Mackinaw, St. Joseph and Sault Ste. 
Marie for the naval authorities and for the fur traders from 
the time of their capture in 1814 and onward till they were 
finally brought here, taken out of commission, dismantled, 
gradually decayed and sank. Their tattered hulls rest be 
neath the waters of Penetanguishene Harbor the former a 
little north of Magazine Island, slightly inshore, the latter in 
Northwest Basin (Colborne Bay), the Outouacha Bay of 
Champlain and his Frenchmen, not far from the spot where 
they landed in 1615, thus serving to recall the memory of the 
first white navigator who ploughed the waters of the "Bay of 
the Rolling Sands" nearly two hundred years ago. They ap 
pear to have decayed and disappeared very rapidly, from 
which it is inferred they had seen long service. We know they 
were built at Presqu Isle on Lake Erie sometime before the 
American war, but we have no knowledge as to the date. So 
far, we have been unable to discover any person here or else 
where, who recalled them as floating hulks, and the oldest 
inhabitant does not remember them. The late Francis John- 
stone, who was born at the "Masonic Arms" in 1823 and 
spent his boyhood days in the precincts of the garrison, had 
no recollection of them, except as sunken wrecks. The late 
Edgar Hallen, who was fairly familiar with the old land- 



30 PIONEER PAPERS 



marks here from an early day, in a note dated 1898, could 
only say, "they were standing marks of the far past," hence 
we infer they vanished quickly and very soon after their be 
ing dismantled. The "Tigress" and "Scorpion" were re 
named by Lt.-Col. Worsley,R.N., who was mainly instrumental 
in their capture. After a gallant defence against great odds, 
a thrilling escape with his men from the Nottawasaga River 
and a perilous voyage of over three hundred miles in small 
boats up the North Shore to Sault Ste. Marie, he surprised 
and captured the blockading fleet in the night, which had in 
the interval transferred its operations to the region of Macki 
naw. The story of the "Schooner Nancy" and the capture of 
the "Scorpion" and "Tigress" is told by Col. Cruikshank in 
"Ontario Historical Society s Papers," Vol. IX., IQIO. A bright 
and characteristic account of the destruction of the "Nancy" 
and the capture of the gun-boats, from the facile pen of Mrs. 
C. H. J. Snyder, of Toronto, appeared also in the Canadian 
Magazine of April, 1912. 

The "Naawash" brigantine, 175 tons, 2 guns, and the 
"Tecumseh," schooner rigged, 175 tons burthen, I gun, were 
brought here from Lake Erie about 1817. Dr. Scadding in 
"Toronto of Old," says, "they were offered for sale with gov 
ernment stores in 1832." However, they were dismantled and 
after a long period of disintegration and decay they ultimate 
ly sank. Their venerable remains, like those of their sister 
ships, the "Surprise" and "Confiance," grace the bottom of 
Penetanguishene Harbor, near each other, just south of 
Magazine Island rather shoreward. Unlike their companions 
in decay, they were long remembered by many of the older 
residents as floating hulls anchored for many years riding on 
the waves just about where they sank. Mr. James Allen, still 
living (1912), son of Sergeant Allen, says, "he often fished 
from the decks of the "Naawash" and "Tecumseh" and secur 
ed planks from the decks and pieces of timber from the rail 
ings for visitors and relic hunters to carry away as memori 
als." An old water color drawing of the garrison and harbor 
in possession of the late Dr. Bain, of Toronto, shows the 
"Confiance" and "Surprise" in full sail, while the "Naawash" 
and "Tecumseh" are anchored not far away dismantled, de 
serted and desolate. It would appear as though the condi 
tions ought to have been reversed. The "Naawash" and 
"Tecumseh" were built at Chippewa in the latter part of 1814 
too late to take part in the war, and the conclusion of peace 
incontinently nipped their naval careers in the bud. The 



PIONEER PAPERS 31 



"Naawash" was so called in honor of a chief of that name, 
leader of a western band of Indians, who had earned con 
siderable noteriety and attracted some attention at the famous 
Barton Council of 1813 by calling Norton, pseudo chief of the 
Six Nations, "the Snipe." Norton was a Scotchman who had 
adopted native habits and become thoroughly Indianized and 
claimed to have been adopted bv the Mohawks chief in suc 
cession to Brant. He led a band of Indians at the Battle of 
Queenston Heights with much ability and in consequence his 
inordinate egotism and vanity caused the authorities much 
trouble afterwards. It was this same band who later apprised 
the authorities when the American fleet passed up the St. 
Clair Straits for the siege of Mackinaw. The "Tecumseh" 
was designed to perpetuate the name of the great chief who 
fell at the Battle of Moraviantown fighting for freedom and 
British supremacy. It became the subject of official corres 
pondence between Lord Castlereagh and John Quincy Adams 
in 1816 for boarding American vessels improperly. It was 
the same old question of "right of search" and only following 
the example of the U. S. themselves. It proved, however, to 
be a bold attempt to claim a channel that did not belong to 
them and in which Commander Bouchier of Fort Maiden had 
slightly exceeded his authority (Archives 1896, pp. 176-229). 
The Rush-Bagot arrangement consigned them to inaction 
and shelter at this port. The old "Naawash" was substanti 
ally built, her ribs being double 24 inches across and placed 
4 inches apart with bolts and timbers corresponding. She 
was well calculated to resist the cannon balls of that day. 
Visitors and relic hunters have done much toward depleting 
the venerable wrecks and hastening their decay. 

Souvenirs and mementos have been carried away in al 
most endless numbers to enrich museums and to grace the 
collections of archaeologists and relic-hunters. Among many 
Mr. Allan McDougall, Secy, of the Canadian Institute, To 
ronto, during its sessions here in 1891, procured a plank from 
the "Naawash" for deposit in the collection of that institution. 
Mr. Robinson of the Northern Navigation Co., Collingwood, 
secured a rib from the old "Scorpion" in 1907 out of which to 
make a gavel for presentation to a retiring President of the 
Co. Mr. C. H. J. Snider of the Toronto Telegram, on behalf 
of J. Ross Robertson, proprietor, procured in the fall of 1911 
material from all the wrecks from which to manufacture an 
easy chair, which was duly finished and presented to Toron 
to University in 1912. 



32 PIONEER PAPERS 



The other wrecks, so far as known, are the "Bull Frog" 
(no connection with Commander Barrie s yacht "Bull Frog"), 
the "Bee," "Wasp," "Mosquito," "Fire Fly," and "Water 
Witch," all built in the naval dock-yard here and names all 
suggestive of a fine appreciation of the natural history feat 
ures of the backwoods of Canada, and a vivid experience in 
contact with the same. These were all of small calibre and 
dimensions. The gun-boat "Bee" had the honor of sailing 
round Cabot s Head into Lake Huron with John Gait of the 
Canada Co. in 1827 for the purpose of examining the River 
Min-e-se-tung (Maitland) and the future site of Goderich. 
This expedition gave rise to that curious and amusing speci 
men of geographical "lore" in which the Admiralty issued an 
order to the Commander of the "Bee" to "convey Mr. Gait 
from Penetanguishene to Lake Huron in Lower Canada." It 
affords an interesting and instructive comment on the general 
business condition at that period, that so many of these dis 
carded gun-boats, effective, sea worthy and costly, could not 
have been turned to account in the trade and commerce of 
the country, instead of being permitted to rot away in 
idleness. 

Lady Edgar in "Ten Years of Upper Canada in Peace 
and War," page IO/, details a conversation which took place 
in London, Eng., in l8ll between a young man and Governor 
Gore, who had just arrived from Canada on leave of absence, 
in which the latter remarked, that "the town of Penetangui 
shene, is coming on rapidly, that is, the North-West Co. in 
tend carrying the trade through it and in a few years it will 
be of some consequence." It transpired also, through other 
sources, that "Young John Radenhurst of Toronto had been 
appointed to the command of a Co y. in the Newfoundland 
Regiment. The first young man referred to was Thos. G. 
Ridout, of Toronto, then in training in a counting house of 
old London, who, in the following year, was appointed 
Deputy Commissary-General of Canada during the war of 
1812 and was soon to become one of the prominent figures in 
that conflict. The other young man later became Lieut. Rad 
enhurst who, under Lieut. Col. Worsley, commanded one of 
the boats in the attack which resulted in the capture of the 
"Scorpion" and "Tigress" on Lake Huron in 1814. The two 
young men were first cousins. Thos. G. Ridout s mother was 
Mary Campbell, daughter of Alexander Campbell, a U. E. 
Loyalist pioneer of Adolphustown, who married Hon. Thos. 
Ridout, Surveyor-General of Canada for many years and M. 



PIONEER PAPERS 33 



P. for York. Lieut. Radenhurst s mother was Anne Camp 
bell, sister of Mary Campbell, and who married John Raden- 
hurst, Esq., Clerk in the Commissary Department, Toronto. 
Geo. Radenhurst, Esq., Police Magistrate, Barrie, is a descend 
ant. Thos. G. Ridout was Cashier of the old Upper Canada 
Bank from its inception in 1820 till his death in 1869. The 
writer was personally acquainted with him and from him ob 
tained many incidents and occurrences of early days and 
strenuous war times. The late Lady Edgar was his daughter. 

Penetanguishene Post is nearing the hey-day of its naval 
and military history. The Duke of Richmond took the oath 
of office as Governor-General of Canada on 30th July, 1818, 
and Sir Peregrine Maitland, his son-in-law, assumed the 
Lieut.-Governorship on Aug. I3th of the same year. About 
the same time, or a little later, the original block-house built 
by Col, Sir Geo. Heaa was superseded by a more pretentious 
log structure for the residence of the new Commander, also a 
dwelling, office and stable for the naval surveyor in prepara 
tion for the survey of the lakes. 

It is fitting, just here, to pause on this the Centenary An 
niversary of the death of Sir Isaac Brock, Canada s honored 
and cherished hero, and in a short review of his achievements 
to pay some slight tribute to his memory and to his energy 
and worth. Gen. Brock was essentially a man of action and 
by his initiative Penetanguishene and the command of Lake 
Huron, one of the numerous projects in the public interests, 
was set under way. As before stated Gov. Gore obtained 
leave of absence and Major Gen. Brock was appointed Presi 
dent and Administrator on 9th October, 1811, to act in succes 
sion during his absence. It will be remembered that by his 
direction the Military road was ordered to be surveyed in 
1811. In a letter of Majoi-Gen. Brock to the Earl of Liver 
pool, he says : "I have directed a survey of a tract of land on 
Lake Simcoe, belonging to the Indians, to meet your views. 
The merchants are particularly anxious to obtain a route for 
their goods unconnected with American territory." This was 
dated York, Nov. 23rd, l8ll. War was declared by the Am 
ericans on June l8th, 1812. Gen. Brock immediately sent a 
despatch to Capt. Roberts in command of St. Joseph s Island 
to organize an attack on Mackinaw, and by the 28th of July 
that stronghold was surrendered to the British. On Aug. 6th 
following Gen. Brock left York (Toronto) for Burlington Bay, 
crossed overland to Long Point, on the 8th embarked with 260 
militia and 40 regulars in boats for Amherstburg, 200 miles 



34 PIONEER PAPERS 



distant, which he reached on the I3th after 5 days and nights 
of incessant toil and during which he frequently jumped over 
board to help shove the boats off the rocks. With 700 sold 
iers and 600 Indians he attacked Detroit and by the l6th Aug. 
the British flag was floating over that fortress and Hull s 
army surrendered prisoners of war. Again on the I3th Oct. 
following he attacked the invaders at Queenston, drove them 
into the River Niagara, and fell, on the slope of Queenston 
PJeights in the moment of victory. He had driven the foreign 
invader from our soil, had helped to save to Canadians their 
grand heritage, and preserve to Britain the "brightest gem" 
in her crown. His promptitude and energy redeemed Canada 
from a perilous situation and Canadians cannot realize, can 
not know, how much they owe to the prescience and power 
of General Brock. We honor the memory of noble Sir Isaac 
Brock. 

Reverting to our story of the old garrison, the new quart 
ers for the Commander of the Post consisted of a main build 
ing, kitchen and out-houses, the whole surrounded by stock 
ades fifteen feet high, including the garden, situated on the 
slope between the old block-house and the present site of the 
Officers Quarters. The establishment of the Naval Surveyor 
was situated slightly further north along the shore, the office 
building by itself near the bush and the stable a short dis 
tance back from the shore. Quarters were also built for 
Lieut. Jackson, R.N., a little farther back on the slope be 
tween the two former, the garden, not the house, enclosed in 
pallisading. This, with the Commander s quarters, the Naval 
Depot and the Magazine on the island were the only pallis- 
ades enclosing any portion of the garrison. 

The year 1819 is marked by the visit of the Duke of Rich 
mond in August just previous to his death, and his son-in-law 
Sir Peregrine Maitland to visit a detachment of the Duke s 
Regiment stationed here and to inspect the Station generally. 
They were among the earliest of the distinguished visitors 
entertained by Lady Johnstone, as she was jocularly called, 
in the new caravansary, the "Masonic Arms," and the first 
Governor-General and Lieut-Governor, aside from naval and 
military officers, to visit this northern Post. On their way 
up the Duke and his party halted for dinner at a house of en 
tertainment on Yonge Street, and the place was named Rich 
mond Hill in his honor. The Duke and his suite returned to 
Kingston where he parted from the Lieut-Governor and 
friends and started on a trip across country to Perth to visit 






PIONEER PAPERS 35 



a detachment of officers and military stationed there, and 
with whom he dined. Thence he proceeded through swampt 
and over rocks to Richmond, near Ottawa, where numbers of 
the soldiers of his Regiment had settled and named the vil 
lage in his honor, and where he remained over night. Next 
day he started for Ottawa in a canoe down the Jock River 
and when becoming suddenly ill he left the canoe and died 
in an old stable near the bank of the river. This tragic death 
occurred on the 28th of August, 1819, from hydrophobia in 
duced by the bite of a pet fox, about seven days after leaving 
Penetanguishene. The writer visited the town of Richmond 
in 1879 and had an interview with the old lady, the widow of 
Sergeant White, in whose house the Duke lodged over night 
previous to his death, and in which she laid him out next day. 
Mrs. White remarked in her narration that "he was the hand 
somest corpse she ever saw." She said the Duke was some 
what restless during the previous evening after his arrival, 
and when a pet dog which accompanied him looked for the 
usual caress put him off with the words, "O Fido, I am too ill 
to bother with you to-night." She further stated that the 
soldiers split cedar planks and laid them in the swamp for 
the Duke to cross over and they also formed a large deputa 
tion and went out to meet him. Mrs. (Sergeant) White, as a 
soldier s wife, had traversed the Garrison road from Fort Erie 
to Amherstburg and visited most of the military stations in 
Canada. The old lady s mental faculties were intact and ap 
peared as bright as ever. The old mansion, partly log and 
partly stone, with its broad double chimneys of stone and 
quaint gables in the Ottawa Valley style of the early days, 
was still her residence and in fairly good repair, notwith 
standing the lapse of sixty years. 

Another of the distinguished visitors to Penetanguishene 
and the "Masonic Arms" about this time was Lord William 
Montagu, Duke of Manchester, whose wife was a sister of 
Lady Richmond ; and a little later came the Duke of North 
umberland who complimented Mrs. Johnstone on her "good 
cooking" and desired to know where she got her receipt for 
making such "fine curries." 

About this time Capt. Roberts, the hero of Mackinaw, ap 
pears again on the scene and is placed in command of the 
Post at Penetanguishene, the moving cause being partly on 
the score of health, as well as other conditions, and to afford 
a period of less exacting activities. In the Archives, 1896, p. 
132, a letter from Secretary Baynes to Gen. Procter dated i8th 



36 PIONEER PAPERS 



June, 1813, says in part, "He (Procter) is to send a few gun 
ners to Michillimack and a Captain to relieve Roberts on ac 
count of his health ; no one can be found to relieve him in 
his own Corps, the Tenth Royal Veteran Battalion." This 
letter affords a partial key to the situation. Capt. Roberts 
capture of Mackinaw has been already detailed in "The Mi 
gration of Voyageurs from Drummond Island." Capt. Roberts 
was a son of Rev. John Roberts, of Waterford, Ireland, was 
born in July, 1785, and was a brother of Sir Abraham Roberts 
of East India fame. He became Admiral Sir Samuel Roberts 
and received the honor of knighthood for his eminent servic 
es and died in December, 1848, and would have attained 
greater eminence only for his early demise. He was an uncle 
of the present Lord Roberts and is referred to in the Archives 
as Sir Charles Roberts, which is a mistake, as the family 
records have it Sir Samuel. Hon. Dr. Pyne, Minister of Edu 
cation, Toronto, is a sister s son. Roberts Street, one of 
Penetanguishene s leading thoroughfares, is named in honor 
of Capt. Roberts, and perpetuates the memory of Mackinaw s 
captor and one of the early heroes of the war of 1812. 

Mrs. Johnstone of the "Masonic Arms" was the first white 
woman who came to the garrison and only connected with 
the Military in furnishing canteen supplies. She married 
again and became Mrs. Wallace and continued the place of 
entertainment for many years, being remembered by many of 
the older residents. Mrs. Wm. Hornsby, a respected resident 
of the town, is her grand-daughter, from whom and from her 
son, the late Francis Johnstone, most of the facts concerning 
her are gleaned. Mrs. Johnstone was a clever horsewoman, 
and after the road was opened through Innisfil to Holland 
Landing often saddled her horse and rode all the way to To 
ronto and back alone on horseback along the Military road. 
On one occasion she came near being shot for a deserter and 
only escaped by the timely recognition of the voice of her 
brother-in-law, Mr. James Warren, who was out with a squad 
of soldiers in search of the fugitive. She died in 1869, aged 
85 years, and lies in old St. James Church-yard near the 
portals. The parish register states her age at 65, but her 
grand-daughter, Mrs. Hornsby above mentioned, maintains 
she was 85. It seems somewhat curious to read in John Gait s 
diary of his visit in 1827 where he says, "In the village of 
Penetanguishene there is no tavern we were obliged, there 
fore, to billet ourselves on the officer stationed there," etc., as 
it is known that Mrs. Johnstone had already been there over 



PIONEER PAPERS 37 



ten years entertaining travellers and visitors. The explana 
tion probably is that Mr. Gait was virtually the guest of Com 
mander Douglas, but was entertained at Mrs. Johnstone s, 
just as the Dukes of Richmond, Manchester, Northumberland, 
etc., were the guests previously of Commandant Roberts, but 
were entertained at the "Masonic Arms." 



CHAPTER V. 
NAVAL OFFICERS OF THE POST 

As already noted, Commodore W. F. W. Owen was ap 
pointed to the command of the Canadian lakes in succession 
to Sir James Yeo in 1815 and was made Naval Surveyor also. 
He spent the latter part of that year and part of the year fol 
lowing until he returned to England, in completing the naval 
survey of Lake Ontario. One of his orders during his short 
regime was in regard to the big guns and an anchor at Hol 
land Landing and their removal to Kempenfeldt Bay, their 
destination being Drummond Island, the new post selected in 
lieu of Mackinaw. This order has become in a sense historic 
from the fact that the huge anchor and guns, as peace had 
been proclaimed, were dropped at Holland Landing, where 
the anchor has since remained attracting much attention from 
its ponderous weight and monstrous size. It took officialdom 
a long time, nearly two years, to realize that peace had been 
promulgated, the order being dated July 6th, 1816 (Archives, 
1896, p. 172). Capt. Owen had for his assistant in the survey 
of Lake Ontario Cadet (at that time) Bayfield, R.N., whom he 
picked up at Quebec on H.M.S. "Wanderer." An inter 
esting sketch of Kingston in 1819 by Cadet (afterwards Ad 
miral) Bayfield is given in the Ontario Historical Society s 
Records, No. VIIL, p. 124, 1907. Sir W. F. W. Owen was born 
in 1774, entered the Navy as Midshipman in 1788, serving in 
the ships Vengeance, Hannibal and Cullodon. In 1808 he 
was taken prisoner by the French and detained at Mauritius 
for two years. He was employed in the survey of the Bay of 
Fundy and Nova Scotia and promoted to Rear Admiral in 
1847, obtaining the rank of Vice-Admiral in 1854. He died 
at St. John, New Brunswick, in November, 1857, aged 83 years. 
Admiral Owen acquired property on Campobello Island, 
Passamaquoddy Bay, New Brunswick, from which he was 
known as "Campobello" Owen. 



38 PIONEER PAPERS 



On the retirement of Admiral Owen, Cadet (now Capt) 
Bayfield, his former assistant, was made Admiralty Surveyor 
in June, 1817, and by the end of 1818 had completed the sur 
vey of Lakes Brie and St. Clair and in the following year 
established his headquarters at Penetanguishene post prepar 
atory to beginning his arduous surveys of Lakes Huron and 
Superior with their well-nigh countless islands and labyrinth 
ine coasts and channels. Mr. Bayfield had been promoted to 
Lieutenant before he was chosen Assistant to Capt. Owen in 
1815 although in the comments regarding his sketch of Kings 
ton in 1819, before mentioned, he is spoken of as Cadet Bay- 
field. He proved a most efficient and industrious assistant. 
His surveys of Lakes Erie and Huron were carried on with 
very primitive means in two eight-oared open boats with lug 
sails, the "Freighter" and the "Onondaga," his sole assistant, 
scientific expert, being Midshipman P. C. Collins, R.N. He 
had as common helpers Hypolite Brissette, Colbert Amyot, 
Israel Mundy and Wm. Cowan of Penetanguishene, among 
others, having his headquarters at this Post. In winter the 
survey of the shore lines on the different lakes was done upon 
the ice, Mr. Bayfield living in camp with his French voyage- 
urs. He was named by the Indians "Great Chief," and P. C. 
Collins "Little Chief." In the water color drawing of Dr. 
Bain s already mentioned, the boats "Freighter" and "Onon 
daga" are represented in the harbor in full operation, eight 
rowers and sails, the former in command of Capt. Bayfield, 
the latter Mr. Collins boat. From the only two men of his 
crew living, Israel Mundy and Wm. Cowan, whom we were 
privileged to interview we learned that, after completing the 
survey of Lake Huron, Mr. Bayfield hired the Hudson Bay 
schooner "Recovery" in 1823 and began the survey of Lake 
Superior making his headquarters at Fort William. Before 
the survey of Lake Superior was finished, the old "Recovery" 
becoming unseaworthy, they went to Fort William and built 
another vessel which was named the "New Recovery" with 
which the survey was completed. It is said the name of the 
sailing master was Lanphier, and the crew was wont to call 
him L Enfer from his hot, cranky temper. Lieut. Bayfield 
returned to England in 1825 to prepare his charts for the 
engraver. Bayfield s charts have long been familiar to every 
mariner on the lakes and were the supreme authority. 
Through the kindness of Edward Bayfield, K.C., of Charlotte- 
town, P.E.I., Admiral Bayfield s son, we are indebted to Com 
mander J. G. Boulton, R.N., of Quebec, who prepared a mem 
oir of the Admiral s life and work read before the Literary 



PIONEER PAPERS 39 



and Historical Society of Quebec in January, 1909, from which 
we glean the following facts regarding Admiral Bayfield s 
life and career. Some of these particulars appear also in 
the shorter biography in Morgan s Sketches of Celebrated 
Canadians (1862) : 

Admiral Henry Wolsey Bayfield was born in the County 
of Norfolk, England, on the 2lst of January, 1/95, being de 
scended from a very ancient family, the Bayfields of Bayfield 
Hall in the village of that name in the same county. He re 
ceived an ordinary education and in 1806, at the early age of 
eleven years, entered the navy as a supernumerary volunteer, 
on board H.M.S. Pompey, 80 guns, bearing the flag of Sir 
William Sidney Smith, and was in action with a French 
privateer six hours after leaving Portsmouth. Young Bayfield 
was transferred to H.M.S. Queen, 98 guns, Collingwood s flag 
ship. From her he went to the "Duchess of Bedford," Lieut. 
Spillsbury, and was slightly wounded in a severe action off 
Gibraltar in which that vessel beat off two Spanisli felluccas 
with double her crew. For gallant conduct he was made first- 
class volunteer and in 1806 was appointed to H.M.S. "Beagle," 
called the "Golden Beagle," from the number of prizes she 
captured, commanded by Capt. Newcombe, in which they 
compelled the enemy to abandon an English vessel laden 
with naval stores stranded on the Spanish coast, and captur 
ed the "Hazard," "Fortune," and "Vengeur," privateers, and 
participated in Lord Cochrane s action in Basque Roads in 
April, 1809. In the autumn of that year Bayfield accompani 
ed the Walcheren expedition and in 1811 was Midshipman on 
H.M.S. "Wanderer," 21 guns, Capt. Newcombe, and served in 
Spain, Portugal, the West Indies and North America. He 
was promoted to the rank of Lieut, in 1815 and that summer, 
while his ship was in Quebec, was appointed assistant to 
Commander Owen and later made Admiralty Surveyor on the 
Canadian lakes as already noted, having his headquarters at 
Penetanguishene. Bayfield learned the rudiments of naval 
surveying during his spare moments from the books of two 
young officers who were his messmates on board the "Beagle." 
In 1825 Lieut. Bayfield met Capt. (afterwards Sir) John Frank 
lin, R.N., and his party of 33 on his way to the Arctic coast 
of Canada from England via Penetanguishene, also Lieut. 
Back of his party whom he met again in Quebec in 1833 on 
his way to the Great Fish River, as commander, for tidings 
"apt. (Sir) John Ross, R.N. Bayfield returned to England 
in 1825 to prepare his charts after ten years of incessant toil 



40 PIONEER PAPERS 



on bleak shores mainly inhabited by Indians and a few fur 
traders and was promoted to the rank of Commander in Nov., 
1826. In recognition of his services in Canada he was ap 
pointed to the command of the survey of the River and Gulf 
of St. Lawrence in the autumn of 1827, making Quebec city 
his first winter quarters. He conducted this arduous survey 
in a vessel called the "Gubnare"- three of the same name 
the first hired at Quebec, the second built at Charlottetown, 
P.E.L, in 1835, of 175 tons burthen, the third built at Quebec 
in 1852, of 212 tons. In 1835 Midshipman P. C. Collins, his 
assistant for 18 years, died suddenly of apoplexy. In 1841 
the headquarters of the naval survey were transferred from 
Quebec to Charlottetown, P.E.L, to the universal regret of the 
citizens and with complimentary resolutions from Trinity 
House. An extract from Bayfield s Journal, dated March 6th, 
1852, says : "Writing to the Vice-President of the Toronto & 
Huron Railway Co., at his request as to the terminus to be 
adopted on Lake Huron, I recommended Penetanguishene 
Harbor/ For twenty-nine years he followed this most ardu 
ous task of the Gulf survey till 1856, when he was promoted 
to the post of Rear Admiral, compelling him to give up the 
survey. He was appointed Vice Admiral in 1863 remaining 
on the active list till 1867 when he retired with the rank of 
full Admiral. In 1874 the Admiralty granted him a Green 
wich Hospital pension of 150 per annum in addition to his 
regular pension. Of his thirty-five years of public service in 
Canada he spent over five years at Penetanguishene, less 
than two years at Fort William, and the balance at Quebec 
city and Charlottetown, P.E.L, to which latter place he re 
tired and where he died, after a residence of 44 years, Feb. 
10th, 1885, at the venerable age of 93 years and three weeks. 

Admiral Bayfield was married in Quebec on April 2nd, 
1838, to Fanny, only daughter of Gen. Charles Wright of the 
Royal Engineers, by whom he had issue, four sons and one 
daughter. Edward Bayfield, K.C., Charlottetown, P.E.I., is 
his eldest son. Admiral Bayfield was President of the Que 
bec Literary and Historical Society for two years and Vice- 
President several years in succession ; he was also a Fellow 
of the British Astronomical Society. He records the burning 
of Chateau St. Louis in 1834 and the fall of Cape Diamond 
Rock in which members of the family of one of his workmen 
were killed. Many will remember the late Mrs. Bowles here, 
who had a sister killed in that catastrophe. On his removal 
from Quebec in 1841, the "Mercury says : "It is almost super- 




ADMIRAL BAYFIELD 
By permission of J. G. Boulton, R.N. 



PIONEER PAPERS 41 



fluous to say that Capt. Bayfield s services are held in the 
highest admiration by professional men and by the Lords of 
the Admiralty." On the death of Admiral Bayfield the Char- 
lottetown "Patriot" of Feb. nth, 1885, says: "The most dis 
tinguished and probably the most aged of our citizens has 
passed away in the person of Admiral Bayfield who has been 
a resident of this city for 44 years. The Admiral was a man 
of high religious principle, kind to the poor, and disposed to 
aid every good work." Mr. A. C. Osborne, Manager of the 
Bank of Montreal at Alliston, met the venerable Naval Sur 
veyor frequently at his home in Charlottetown, P.E.I., in 1876. 
Commander J. G. Boulton, R.N., who will be remembered by 
many in Penetanguishene while surveying the North Shore 
in 1883-93, says in his interesting resume of the Admiral s 
life and work above referred to : "The Admiralty Surveying 
Service has produced .eood men, from Cook downwards, but 
I doubt whether the British Navy has ever possessed so gifted 
and zealous a Surveyor as Bayfield. He had a marvellous 
combination of natural talent with tremendous physical en 
ergy, and was, I feel convinced, a man who would have gain 
ed the summit of any profession he might have honored, for 
his one thought was his work." 

Admiral Bayfield, from his headquarters on Penetangui 
shene Bay, a natural entrepot and gateway, with perfect 
anchorage and security from storms, charted and defined 
34,560 islands, exclusive of rocks without verdure, on the north 
shore of Georgian Bay that mystic realm of the far-famed 
"inside channel." Here the bark of the voyager may float in 
calm security while boisterous winds and turbulent waves 
prevail in the open water, and may glide gently onward over 
illimitable stretches of miniature seas, gulfs and bays past 
countless islands, rocky headlands and fantastic boulders and 
on through wonderful regions of land and rock and wave, 
touched by the "Master Hand of the Universe." Here, also, 
the many intricate passages, sylvan nooks, opening vistas, 
and winding shores present an ever shifting and varying 
panorama of the finest, if not the grandest, scenery on the 
continent. 

The town and river of Bayfield, once the domain of 
Baron de Tuyle, on the eastern shore of Lake Huron near 
Goderich, were surveyed by Admiral Bayfield and perpetuate 
his name. At page 106 of "In the Days of the Canada Co.," 
it is stated "Lieut. Bayfield surveyed the lake and rivers run- 



42 PIONEER PAPERS 



ning into it in the schooner Gulnare, " etc. There is evident 
ly a slight discrepancy here. Bayfield was promoted to Com 
mander in 1826, was appointed to the Survey of the St. Law 
rence in 1827, and the "Gulnare" of 146 tons burthen was 
built in 1828 at Quebec and was never on these waters. The 
survey of Baron de Tuyle s estate must have taken place 
previous tc 1825 while stationed at Penetanguishene. Bay- 
field Street, Barrie, also perpetuates his name, and it is hoped 
the new Park near the railway station here, being promoted 
by the town Council, may be named in his honor, that the 
town of Penetanguishene may possess some memorial of his 
great work. 

Wm. Cowan, who was with Admiral Bayfield about three 
years, was previously with the North-West Fur Co. at Fort 
William and later with the Hudson Bay Co. at Nippising. A. 
F. Hunter, in his "History of Simcoe County," Vol. L, p. 21, 
says: "Wm. Cowan was born at Richmond Hill, May I5th, 
1806, and died near Penetanguishene Mar. 23rd, 1892, at the 
ripe age of 86 years." At an interview with Mr. Cowan some 
ten years previous to his death he told the writer he was born 
at Penetanguishene in l8oi. It may have been that Cowan s 
father established a branch trading post at Penetanguishene 
at an early day, an off-shoot from that at the "Chimneys," 
and where William was born, removing subsequently to 
Richmond Hill. This may account for one of the three de 
serted trader s posts found at Penetanguishene Bay when the 
Military road was finally put through and where the supplies 
were deposited previous to the attack on the Schooner 
"Nancy" at the Nottawasaga River in 1814 already mentioned. 
Again, the late Mrs. Leonard Wilson in some reminiscences 
of her father, Jacob Gill, published in the Orillia Packet 29th 
Feb., 1912, states that he was first sent by the Government in 
1812 when he came to Canada to the mouth of the Nottawa 
saga River to build ships, and was left there during the 
winter with two other men. "Before spring their provisions 
gave out and they could get nothing short of Penetangui 
shene. After waiting four days they started on a breakfast 
of one biscuit each. About two miles from the Barracks 
one of the men became exhausted and had to be carried most 
of the way. Father always said he believed it saved all their 
lives, as anxiety and helping their companion to walk short 
distances kept them from freezing." There were no "Bar 
racks (Mr. Gill s own word) at Penetanguishene till after 
1814, hence Mr. Gill must have referred to the depot of sup- 



PIONEER PAPERS 43 



plies where his party got relief, and that depot may have 
been one of the trading posts. However, as Mr. Hunter fur 
ther states, we find Wm. Cowan an orphan at the age of four 
years with his grandmother, Widow Vallier, at Hogg s Hol 
low (York Mills), his father having been killed near Toronto 
by some person unknown. The late Francis Columbus, who 
came to Penetanguishene in 1832, informed me that two 
brothers (Cowan) Scotch traders, sons of the original Cowan, 
who was drowned on the schooner "Speedy" in 1804, settled 
at the Chimneys. One of the brothers married an Indian 
woman, by whom he had three children, who became known 
respectively as John Copecog, Joe Cowan (Kane) and Winne- 
dis. The other brother (Wm. Cowan s father) married a dau 
ghter of Widow Vallier (Mrs. Mundy) whose son became 
Chief Justice Vallier of Montreal. He was a ventriloquist and 
made the Indians believe he had supernatural powers and 
pretended to converse with the Devil and tell when they 
cheated or sold furs to other parties. He also had a magnet 
ana showed them its mysterious powers. These harmless 
tricks may have had something to do with his untimely end 
by secret enemies. . Wm. Cowan, his son, is remembered by 
many of the residents as a respected citizen and a harmless, 
inoffensive character, given to little, sly practical jokes, one 
of which was to carry a live garter snake in his bosom and 
suddenly display it among crowds at the stores and taverns 
and public gatherings to the consternation of the fair sex and 
many others. He married an Indian woman of the Cree tribe 
and settled on a grant of land, Lot 98, on the Military road 
near Wyebridge where he died in 1892 aged 86, as previously 
stated. It was the general impression at the time of his death 
that he was much older than the records declared. Mr. Hunt 
er, in his sketch already quoted, p. 22, says : "He (Mr. Cowan) 
was a most agreeable and mild-tempered man, not given to 
chasing for noteriety in the slightest degree and as a result 
was unknown to fame." The wife of Justice Vallier of Mont 
real and her son came on a visit to Penetanguishene to see 
Mrs. Mundy and tried to induce her to return with them to 
Montreal, but she refused to go. Mr. Columbus said Mrs. 
Mundy continued the canteen for many years, but kept no 
liquor in his time. It was at this canteen that, at an earlier 
time, Sidney Smith, a drunken soldier, committed suicide by 
cutting his throat. 



44 PIONEER PAPERS 



CHAPTER VI. 
TRADERS AND OTHERS 

Gordon s fur trading post, just beyond the Barracks Point 
north on the eastern shore, was founded by George Gordon 
of Drummond Island in 1824 and called by him the "Place, of 
Penetangoushene." It is now known as Gordon s Point, and 
sometimes as Paddy s Cove, and was designed by its founder 
as the beginnings of a prospective town, the original of Pene- 
tanguishene, but fate and the trend of future events decided 
otherwise. George Gordon was born in Montreal in 1787, en 
gaged with the North- West Co. and entered the Western fur 
trade when under 21 years of age. His father was Col. Gord 
on of Montreal who was recalled with his Regiment to Eng 
land and afterward sent to the West Indies, where he was 
killed in action. Col. Gordon also had one daughter who 
returned with him to the old country. His widow, George s 
mother, subsequently became the wife of Pierre Rousseau of 
Montreal by whom she had several children, among them be 
ing William and J. B. Rousseau who entered the service of 
the North- West Co., and are mentioned in another part of 
this work, "The Migration of the Voyageurs." 

George Gordon entered the service of ihe North-West 
Co., leaving Montreal in 1807, going up to Me-ta-ga-mi, Nipe- 
gon, Fort William, Michipicoton, Ste. Marie, Mackinaw, 
Drummond Island and thence to Penetanguishene. One can 
picture in imagination what the trail would be like, where the 
C.P.R. now runs to Fort William, over one hundred years ago, 
for be it remembered voyageurs were obliged to leave the 
common trail at Nippising and French River in order to reach 
that (then) remote inland region. We have before us a copy 
of the original agreement between George Gordon and the 
North-West Co. dated April 22nd, 1807, drawn up by Jonath 
an Absalom Grey, Notary Public, of Montreal, Lower Canada. 
This document, together with several interesting letters, writ 
ten by various persons at different times to George Gordon, 
and embracing his private correspondence during his con 
nection with the fur trade, has been placed at our disposal by 
Miss Elizabeth Gordon, second daughter of the late George 



PIONEER PAPERS 45 



Gordon, still living in Penetanguishene. These letters were 
transmitted by Indian express, bearing no post mark and all 
neatly folded so as to form their own envelope, sealed with 
wax and stamped with the improvised monogram of the send 
er. Some of them, especially those written by Geo. Moffatt 
and T. Fisher of the Montreal Fur Co. and by the late Wm. 
Simpson and Andrew Mitchell of Drummond Island are writ 
ten each in a fine business hand on special brands of paper 
and form models of neatness and penmanship which are a 
pleasure to meet in these days of hasty scrawls and type 
written sheets. The legal document setting forth the engage 
ment is written in a large bold hand on coarse vellum fools 
cap, double page and very much discolored, and unruled, 
bearing the water mark of E. Morgan, Troy. It forms a most 
interesting document and noting its venerable age and ap 
pearance and that it also bears the names of men who have 
figured largely in Canadian history we offer no apology for 
copying it verbatim : 

"BEFORE THE SUBSCRIBING PUBLIC NOTARIES FOR THE PROVINCE OF 
LOWER CANADA RESIDING IN THE CITY OF MONTREAL, 

"Personally appeared George Gordon of said Montreal, a minor under the 
age of twenty-one years, who for the considerations hereinafter mentioned, 

hath of his own free and voluntary will engaged and bound himself 

to Messrs. William McGillivray, Duncan McGillivray, William Hallowell and 
Roderick McKenzie of the same place, merchants and co-partners under the 
firm of McTavish, McGillivray & Co y-> and John Ogilvy and Thomas Thain, 
Agents of the Northwest Company, present and accepting by the said Roder 
ick McKenzie, in the capacity of a clerk or COMMIS to the said Northwest 
Company, for and during the space and term of five years, that is to say, that 
he, the said George Gordon shall and will upon the first requisition depart 
from Montreal and proceed to the Northwest or Indian country or elsewhere 
and there pass five complete winters, and to be free at Montreal aforesaid, on 
his return in the fall of the last year, and shall and will also, during all which 
said term, dilligently and faithfully, according to the best and utmost of his 
power, skill and knowledge, exercise and employ himself in his said capacity, 
and obey, do and perform all the lawful commands of the said agents or their 
representatives, and shall and will keep their secrets, and likewise be just, 
true and faithful to them in all matters and things whatsoever; from the said 
employment he shall not at any time depart or absent himself and shall and 
will also from time to time make and give up true and fair accounts of all 
his actings and doings in the said employment without fraud or delay, when 
thereunto required. 

"The present engagement is made in manner as aforesaid and for and in 
consideration of the following sums of money, that is to say, for the first year 
ten pounds, for the second fifteen pounds, for the third twenty pounds, for 
the fourth twenty-five pounds, for the fifth and last year of said term of five 
years thirty pounds, making together the sum of one hundred pounds currency 
of the province, with the ordinary annual equipment of a clerk or COMMIS, 
in the said Northwest country. For thus promising and obliging and re 
nouncing. 

"Done and passed at Montreal aforesaid, in the office of Jonathan Ab. 



46 PIONEER PAPERS 



Gray, one of us Notaries, the twenty-second day of April, in the year one 
thousand eight hundred and seven, in the afternoon, and signed with us the 
said Notaries, after having been duly read as appears to the original remain 
ing in the said office. J. A. GRAY, Not. Pub." 

The document is unique in many respects as affording a 
retrospective glimpse at the fur trading period in Canadian 
history; also enabling us to institute an interesting contrast 
or comparison with present-day forms of legal documents. 
George Gordon remained in Montreal sufficiently long to ac 
quire a certain routine of the Company s business, after which 
we hear of him for the first time in the vast wilderness of 
Nipegon north of Lake Superior in charge of the post at 
Monontague, in the absence of the factor, Mr. Haldane, on 
his annual trip to meet the partners of the Company at Fort 
William. In a letter to George Gordon, dated at Fort Willi 
am, 25th July, 1809, Mr. Geo. Moffatt of Montreal, one of the 
partners, says he avails himself of Mr. Haldane s return to 
Monontague to acknowledge receipt of his (Gordon s) letter 
of I4th inst. and to forward a set of razors and shaving box, 
offering at the same time some wholesome advice and good- 
natured exhortation as to his (Gordon s) conduct towards Mr. 
Haldane and the Company in general. We also hear of Mr. 
Gordon s half brother, J. B. Rousseau, for the first time, whom 
Mr. Moffatt reports as being at Mackinac. We next hear of 
him at Fort William as manager of a department of the Go s, 
business there in l8ll. Again Mr. Geo. Moffatt, in a letter 
dated Montreal, 26th May, of that year, says : "In compliance 
with your favor of June last, I have addressed to you at Fort 
William two dictionarys, one French and English, the other 
an English Pronouncing Dictionary," adding, "he is glad to 
hear that he (Gordon) is on such terms with Mr. Haldane, as 
he has it in his power to be of service to you." He then in 
forms him of the result of "Mowat s" trial who was found 
guilty of manslaughter in killing a Hudson Bay Go s, em 
ployee. He regrets the premature death of the deceased, "but 
even his friends must allow that his conduct to the H.B. serv 
ants was extremely censurable." This had reference to a 
noted conflict of that time between the employees of the 
N.-W. and H.B. fur companies in which one of the latter, a 
highly respected employee, whose name we cannot now re 
call, was killed. Mr. Geo. Moffatt was a prominent figure in 
the history of the fur trade and in mercantile life in Montreal 
in those days, and Mr. Haldane a well-known factor of the 
N.-W. Co. It will be noted that nearly a year had elapsed 
before Gordon received his reply, probably the first oppor- 



PIONEER PAPERS 47 



tunity, which need not be surprising when it is considered 
that mail delivery was by canoe and Indian express and 
wholly dependent on the annual trips of the fur fleet. Now, 
two days suffice for communication between Montreal and 
Fort William. In October of 1811 Mr. Gordon is in charge of 
the post at Mi-chi-pi- co-ten on Lake Superior, where he is 
requested by Fred. Geodike, in a letter of 2Qth October, to 
give "Champaigne" a half carrot tobacco which he borrowed 
from him and charge it to Batchewaning outfit. His stay at 
Michipicoten seems to have been short, as on Aug. 20th, 1812, 
we find Donald Mclntosh in charge and Gordon at Sault Ste. 
Marie, when the former congratulates the latter on having to 
pass the winter among a "parcel of young Dulcineas." But 
previous to this, and in the interval Gordon had received a 
second letter from his friend Geodike dated from Aguin- 
wang Batchewaning asking him to give "Jusseaume (a new 
spelling for Dussome) two quarts of salt he borrowed," and 
giving a glowing account of a recent visit he (Geodike) had 
paid to Sault Ste. Marie, which no doubt helped to pave the 
way for Gordon s advent to that attractive post, though, in 
all probability, considerations of social advantages, much 
less enjoyments, had little weight with the stern requirements 
of the fur Company. At the risk of being charged with pro 
lixity and lack of taste we give the letter almost entire, as it 
is so characteristic of the actors concerned and affords such 
an insight into the social conditions then pertaining to the 
wilderness and the fur trade. After the customary saluta 
tions, Mr. Geodike, in his letter, says : 

"I returned from Ste. Maries the day before yesterday, whither I went 
the 27th ultimo. The day after I got there I went over with Mr. Logan to 
see Mr. Johnston we were very politely received and invited to a ball at that 
gentleman s house the next day. You need not ask whether I went, and hav 
ing gone, whether I had pleasure. In fact, he would be insensible to all de 
lightful sensations who did not enjoy pleasure, in the highest degree, in the 
company of a polite, cheerful and well-informed old man ; of three or four 
jovial and sprightly young fellows ; but above all, of the most amiable set of 
fine girls that is to be teen between Montreal and the Rocky Mountains. We 
accordingly passed a most pleasant evening, drinking now and then a glass of 
Jorum, dancing with and kissing the ladies till daybreak. This was on Fri 
day night. On Sunday we had a grand dinner at Mr. Logan s, where all the 
luxuries which the Sault affords were seen with profusion after dinner a 
glass of wine to King George, our absent friends, etc., and then a glass of 
Jorum, while a cheerful and sentimental conversation enlivened the scene of 
mirth and made us forget all past and future sorrows. The day was con 
cluded with an elegant supper and a dish of tea with the ladies On Tuesday 
we had a grand ball at Mr. Logan s where all that the Sault contains of 
elegant and lovely were assembled. Again there was drinking of Jorum, 
dancing, but above all, kissing of the ladies. By the way, I must not forget 



48 PIONEER PAPERS 



to tell you I fell in love with Mademoiselle Magdeleine This was the end 
of Tuesday s diversion. On Wednesday we went to a sumptuous dinner at 
Mr. Johnston s, where nothing was spared that can render an entertainment 
delightful. The end of that was a supper with the ladies, and a great deal of 
sorrow on my part at taking leave of a certain young lady, who had almost 
made me forget Miss Magdeleine. Thursday we had a magnificent ball at 
Mr. Nolin s where Jorum and the young ladies were in such profusion and 
perfection that it required a great deal of philosophy not to get intoxicated 
with the first or fall in love with the last I must own it, my friend, it was 
there I met with my finishing blow, and fell beneath the charms of the lovely 
Miss J . Well, here is hurly-burly for you ! What now, do you think 
of all that work ? For my part, I am now returned home and just as lone 
some as I was before and perhaps something worse. Yours, etc., etc." 

We leave our readers to make their own comments and 
draw their own conclusions. Mr. Grodike was one of the 
junior factors of the Company generally stationed at the 
smaller outposts. The Mr. Johnston to whom he refers, who 
was stationed on the American side of the Sault River, was 
an English gentleman who went up some years previously 
and married a beautiful Indian girl, daughter of the famous 
Chippawa Chief, Waub-o-geeg, in 1792. Bye-the-bye, there is 
quite a romance connected with this union, and while partak 
ing of the elements of savagery, it may be, nevertheless, ro 
mantic. History tells us the wooing and the nuptials had 
been arranged, after which the chief and his braves left for 
the distant hunting grounds for the winter. After his de 
parture the dusky bride-to-be either from fickleness or fright 
refused to fulfil her part of the arrangement and fled to the 
forest. In this extremity her father, the chief, was sent for, 
who, with a stout "beech gad" forced the recalcitrant damsel 
back to the parental wigwam where the primitive nuptial 
ceremony was duly performed and the chief re-joined his 
braves in the winter s hunt. The wife of Archdeacon Mc- 
Murray, the Anglican missionary at that post for many years; 
the wife of H. R. Schoolcraft, the Indian historian and schol 
ar; and the wife of Interpreter William Solomon, long in the 
Indian department at Penetanguishene, were all daughters of 
this union, and it is more than probable that Mr. Geodike on 
this eventful evening enjoyed a "whirl" in the mazy dance 
with each of these distinguished mademoiselles. Mr. John 
ston s feoods were confiscated and he himself obliged to find 
refuge at Mackinaw when the Americans burned Sault Ste. 
Marie just previous to the siege of Mackinaw and the capture 
of the "Scorpion" and "Tigress" in 1814. Mr. Johnston also 
built a trading post at Pinery Point near the entrance to the 
harbor about the year 1809 or 10. In his account of Lake 
Superior written in 1809 he gives a glowing description of 



PIONEER PAPERS 49 



Matchedash Bay and its advantages and did not doubt but 
that it "would soon become the most thriving place in Upper 
Canada and the centre of provisions and transport trade for 
the fur countries."- 5th Report, Bureau of Mines, 1895. Mr. 
Johnston had the "courage of his convictions" and later ven 
tured the experiment which evidently did not realize his ex 
pectations. His building near the "Rolling Sands" was one 
of the three deserted traders posts found on Penetanguishene 
Bay when the Military road was put through in 1814. 

Although George Gordon s term of engagement with the 
North- West Fur Co. has expired he is still in their service and 
we meet him next at "Macknow" where, in a letter from Mr. 
F. Fisher, one of the partners at Montreal, dated Sept. I5th, 
he congratulates him on their late success against the Am 
ericans and has no doubt he will always show a determinate 
resolution to defend the post should they have the temerity 
to renew the attack. Mr. Fisher forwards a parcel of news 
papers and letters from his (Gordon s) mother at Montreal, 
through Mr. Johnston, who was also present during the siege 
of Mackinaw in 1814. The year 1817 finds Geo. Gordon back 
again at Fort William where he received two letters in French 
from Paul Joseph La Croix, Esq., one dated at Montreal I5th 
January, the other at York dated 22nd May of this same year, 
the latter per favor of Honorable W. B. Coltman. These 
letters are interesting mainly from his mention of two judges 
being sent to Fort William to adjudicate upon the Lord Sel 
kirk troubles via the Nottawasaga River in which they were 
frozen up and compelled to return to York where they passed 
the remainder of the winter; also his strange spelling of Not 
tawasaga which he spells Nan-tow-ois-a-gue in two places. 
After spending some four years more at Fort William in the 
midst of the turmoil incident to the conflict between the North- 
West Co. and Hudson Bay Co., during which he suffered im 
prisonment in common with some of the principal partners 
in their own fort at the hands of Lord Selkirk, Geo. Gordon 
transferred his operations to Drummond Island, where he en 
gaged in business on his own account. He is first heard from 
here in a doleful letter from his friend "Fournier," on a deso 
late island in Lake Huron, dated January 1st, 1822, who states 
that "he is in continual inquietudes respecting this Dam In 
dian Trade," and that "there is every appearance of my fast 
ing considerably this spring." He has but one hope in this 
cruel extremity, that of "receiving letters from him that will 
encourage him." Mr. Gordon spent about three years at 



50 PIONEER PAPERS 



Drummond Island, during which time he married Miss Agnes 
Landry, long admired as the "Belle of the Island" and en 
titled by common consent the "Beauty of the Lake." After 
two or three children were born he moved to Penetanguishene 
Bay in 1824 and settled at Gordon s Point, naming it "The 
Place of Penetangoushene. From this post he carried on a 
considerable business, having associated with him his half- 
brother, J. B. Rousseau, who ranged the Muskoka and Parry 
Sound districts in the interests of the fur trade, and was the 
first white man on Lake Rousseau, which bears his name. 
He built a considerable establishment at the Point, the found 
ations of which may still be seen, and had the first clearing 
in this region in connection with his fur trade, his farm join 
ing the ordnance lands north with Sergeant Kennedy s farm, 
the only land between. He transplanted apple trees from the 
Jesuit location at Fort Ste. Marie on the Wye and acquired a 
considerable nursery, ana numerous orchards in the vicinity 
were grown from the Gordon farm. He also introduced the 
first horse into Penetanguish ene, which he had the misfortune 
to lose in a couple of years by accident. A letter of Mr. 
Simpson s from Drummond Island, dated January, 1827, wish 
es him good health, plenty of beaver, rats and such like 
articles, but is sorry for the loss of his horse which will be 
hard to replace as no doubt in such a place horseflesh is 
"pretty tarnation dear." From this letter also we learn that 
Mrs. Surgeon Mitchell arrived from Mackinaw, the previous 
November, so ill her life is almost despaired of ; also for the 
first time we hear of Dedine Revolte (Re\/ol) who later plays 
an important role in Penetanguishene. From this letter also 
we learn that Rolette & Mitchell have already five packs of 
furs, which is a good deal at this time of the year. He, like 
wise, mentions the addition of a young lady, a Miss Crawford, 
to the social circle of Drummond Island. Miss Crawford was 
the daughter of Major Crawford who led the militia under 
Col. McDouall in the defence of Mackinaw against the Am 
ericans in 1814. Rolette was a fur trader assisting Col. Mc 
Douall in the same action and was also with Col. McKay in 
the capture of Prairie du Chien (Fort McKay), and Mitchell 
was Andrew, son of Surgeon David Mitchell of the Indian 
Department, all of whom retired to Drummond Island when 
the British Government relinquished Mackinaw to the 
Americans. 

The year 1827 saw four more families settled at Gordon s 
Point, viz. : Donovan, Prior, Desmaison, and Modeste Lemire, 



PIONEER PAPERS 51 



the two latter from Drummond Island quite an embryo com 
munity of civilians apart from the garrison. Prior seems to 
have been a fur trader in reduced circumstances, as Mr. Simp 
son in one of his letters expresses commiseration for him 
saying the " Indian trade was not a field for him, which, poor 
fellow, he has found out by sad experience. Mr. Gordon 
must have by this time perfected himself in the French langu 
age for Mr. Simpson, who was himself a good scholar and 
well versed in French literature, makes a favorable compari 
son between his French and that of Voltaire, Boileau and 
Racine -"the diction is so very fine, much like Racine, but 
too grave for Voltaire." The previous November chronicled 
the arrival at Drummond Island from Mackinaw of the wife 
of Surgeon Mitchell in very ill health. This is further sup 
plemented by the following intelligence : "Died at this post 
on the 25th inst. (February), Elizabeth, the wife of David 
Mitchell, Esq., deeply regretted by her friends and relatives." 
Surgeon Mitchell and the remainder of his family moved to 
Penetanguishene with the government forces the following 
year, 1828. Also, the death is announced of La Petite Folles- 
avoine Papin,of Potagamissing and a little girl of Assikanack. 
La Follesavoine was the Petite Chief of the Follesavoine 
Indians who gallantly led his tribe at the siege of Mackinaw 
under Col. McDouall in 1814. The little girl was the daught 
er of the famous Ottawa Chief, Assighnack, the Black Bird, 
who bravely seconded the British and French in the capture 
of Mackinaw under Commander Roberts in 1812 and who 
signed the treaties of 1836 and at Sault Ste. Marie in 1850 as J.B. 
Assigkanack under Hon. W. B. Robinson. He was Indian 
interpreter for the government at Mackinaw, Sault Ste. Marie, 
Drummond Island, Penetanguishene in 1830-2 and Manitoulin 
in 1837. In the latter year he headed a band of Indians who 
captured a boat-load of several barrels of rum on their way 
to Manitoulin and pitched them all overboard. He was a 
clever native and always stood loyally by the British. He 
died in 1865 at the age of 98 years. 

In 1828 Mr. Simpson is preparing to move to Penetangui 
shene. In a letter dated I5th Nov. of that year he asks Mr. 
Gordon to enquire if he can procure some kind of a storehouse 
in which to put his traps till he can build one for himself and 
informs him that Mitchell is leaving his (Gordon s) house to 
winter on St. Joseph s Island. Mr. Simpson s letters are 
models of caligraphy and a pleasure to inspect. 



52 PIONEER PAPERS 



We have a. letter also from Mr. Andrew Mitchell on the 
eve of his deserting Drummond Island and moving to Pene- 
tanguishene, which he spells Penetangooshing. A short ex 
tract from a letter dated Jan. nth, 1828, says : "This place 
affords nothing new, it s as dull as the verj- DEVIL, and the 
people living in it are getting poorer and poorer every day." 
We learn also that Dedine Revolte (Revol) who had moved 
from Drummond Island to Penetanguishene the previous aut 
umn "had put himself under the Nun s hands." 

George Gordon did a flourishing business in the fur 
trade for some time and the favorable position on Pene 
tanguishene Bay began to attract adventurers from various 
quarters. An added stimulus was the removal of the British 
forces from Drummond Island to temporary quarters in the 
naval station here, the transfer taking place on Nov. 14, 1828, 
as stated in a previous work. 

Where the town of Penetanguishene now stands was 
still a dense forest with not even a trail from the garrison. 
About this time Mr. Gordon, either considering it a more ad 
vantageous position or anticipating the coming change, erect 
ed a building nearer the head of the bay on what was after 
wards Water Street, to which he removed his family and 
business. The house was built of cedar logs, is still standing 
and in a fair state of repair and occupied by his second 
daughter, Miss C. Gordon. Mr. Revolte erected a dwelling 
on the next lot occupied later by the residence of the late 
Alfred Thompson (Dr. Howard Spohn s), which long since 
disappeared. The township of Tiny, in which they had 
located, was recently named (1822) consequent, probably, 
upon the visit of the ill-fated Duke of Richmond and his son- 
in-law, Sir Peregrine Maitland, to this post, as also that of 
Tay where Gordon first located and in which township the 
garrison was situated. Dr. Scadding says, "Tiny, Tay and 
Flos" were named after three of Lady Sarah Maitland s lap- 
dogs, which thus connects the naming of these townships 
with the gubernatorial visits here in 1819. The township of 
Tay formerly included the Tiny peninsula on the western 
side of the harbor. Surgeon Mitchell came with the govern 
ment forces in 1828 and settled on the south-east corner now 
occupied by D. Quesnelle opposite McGibbon s mill and Wm. 
Simpson followed the next year, locating on the opposite 
north-east corner of what afterwards became Queen and 
Water Streets, and at these corners was for several years the 
central business portion of the town. The testimony as to 



PIONEER PAPERS 53 



who is entitled to the honor of erecting the first building in 
the prospective town is slightly conflicting. Miss C. Gordon, 
previously mentioned, maintains that her father built the first 
house, aided by Revoke, which is therefore the oldest dwel 
ling in town and still occupied. He then helped Revoke com 
plete his which was afterwards used by Father Proulx and 
Father Kennedy as a residence. The late Francis Columbus 
informed us that Champagne the carpenter, who built the 
Columbus mansion, always said Surgeon Mitchell s store was 
the first house here. The evidence rather preponderates in 
favor of the Gordon homestead. 

George Gordon died in 1852, aged 65 years. He was 
married twice and had a family of five sons and seven dau 
ghters. Four of the latter still survive : Mrs. Valler, Lafon- 
taine, aged 86 ; Mrs. Solomon, Sault Ste. Marie, wife of James 
Solomon, grandson of Interpreter William Solomon, and 
Misses Catharine and Louise at the homestead. 

Dr. Mitchell s lot extended all the way along Queen 
Street from Water Street to Roberts Street, on the upper end 
of which was the Mitchell mansion, built later and now own 
ed and renovated as a private residence by Mr. Blanchard. 
The Mitchell store on Water Street was originally built of 
logs and subsequently burned down and replaced by a frame 
building which was burned in 1881, having been last occupi 
ed by James Wynne as a liquor store. The Simpson estab 
lishment on the opposite corner, also built of logs, was re 
moved several years since, but the private residence, also of 
logs, now clap-boarded, still remains. These men were in 
every sense real pioneers since they literally hewed their 
homes from the forest and launched the embryo town on the 
high road to business and fortune. 

Dr. Mitchell s remarkable career is most interesting as a 
pertinent illustration of the "Scotchman in Canada." Mrs. 
H. T. Conklin, Milwaukee, and Mrs. Jessie M. Harris of Green 
Bay, Wisconsin, daughters of the late Wm. Mitchell of Green 
Bay, youngest son of Dr. Mitchell, and therefore his grand 
daughters, have kindly furnished us with the following inter 
esting facts regarding his life and times : Surgeon David 
Mitchell was born in Edinburgh in 1750. He studied medi 
cine there and after taking his degree at the age of 23 was 
sent to Canada as Surgeon-General of the Indian Depart 
ment. He was married to Miss Elizabeth Bertraud in Mont 
real July 20th, 1776, the year fraught with great events for the 
American republic and of momentous concern to the British 



54 PIONEER PAPERS 



empire. He brought his bride to Mackinaw where he built 
the first house, a spacious and handsome mansion at that 
time, well furnished and the library filled with many valuable 
books, globes and works of art. He also had a large store 
filled with goods, a garden of several acres enclosed by a 
high pallisade of cedar posts with a gate secured by a strong 
lock, and a farm on the opposite side of the island, known up 
till 1846 as the Mitchell farm. The original residence is still 
standing and is one of the show places of that famous sum 
mer resort. This is the house made famous in Mrs. Woolson s 
story of "Annie," and here Dr. and Mrs. Mitchell raised a large 
family of sons and daughters, thirteen children, all long since 
dead. Nearly all received a liberal education, being sent 
abroad to be educated. The eldest son was a Lieutenant in 
the Royal Navy and was lost at sea. The second son studied 
medicine in England and died of a fever in Montreal while 
on his way home. Another son was a fine mathematician. 
Two of the daughters married officers in the British army, 
viz. : Louisa, who married Lieut.-Col. James Matthew Hamil 
ton of the 5th Reg. in 1794, and Elizabeth who became the 
wife of Capt L. M. Wardrope of the 8lst Reg., 1816, while 
Jessie, a third daughter, in 1806, married Major Lewis Craw 
ford who commanded the militia at the siege of Mackinaw in 
1814. After the British relinquished Mackinaw for the first 
time in 1796 he was stationed at Fort Watkins for a number 
of years returning to the former post after its capture by the 
Canadians in 1812. When Mackinaw was turned over to the 
Americans for the second time, in 1815, Dr. Mitchell who was 
a loyal British subject gave his Mackinaw property to his 
youngest son, William, who married Miss Sophia Crawford, 
an American lady, in 1827, and removed with the British gar 
rison to the new post at Drummond Island. When the new 
survey relegated that island to the U. S. territory Dr. Mitchell 
removed with the British forces to Penetanguishene in 1828 
where he spent the remainder of his days, dying in 1830 at 
the ripe age of 80 years. His remains rest in a nameless 
grave on the Mitchell farm, now known as the Robb farm. 
Wm. Mitchell, his youngest son, who never lived in Canada, 
moved to Green Bay, Wisconsin, and died while on a visit to 
Chicago at the age of 80 years. 

The famous Dr. James Anderson, Surgeon General to the 
East Indian army at Madras, was an uncle of Surgeon David 
Mitchell, being his mother s brother, and Mrs. Dr. Turnbull 
was his step-sister. Dr. Anderson was noted for the zeal and 



PIONEER PAPERS 55 



ability which he manifested in his persistent efforts to intro 
duce the cochineal, silk worm, mulberry trees and the cotton 
plant into Hindostan, and published able letters on the sub 
ject. He died Aug. 5th, 1809. Dr. Andrew Mitchell, Surgeon 
General of the British army at Chatham, Eng., was a brother 
of Dr. David Mitchell and died in London. All were natives 
of Edinburgh. 

As already mentioned, from a letter of Wm. Simpson s 
we learned that Mrs. Dr. Mitchell died at Drummond Island 
Feb. 25th, 1827, and her remains are buried at that post. Her 
maiden name would indicate a nativity of French or at least 
of French extraction. She was most lady-like in her appear 
ance and actions and exceedingly polite in her intercourse 
with visitors and in receiving company. She was a genuine 
artist and had much artistic taste which she applied in mak 
ing beautiful rugs with which she covered the floor of her 
rooms, and was very clever at fancy work of all kinds. She 
was kind-hearted to a great degree and her death was deeply 
lamented by all in the circle of her acquaintance. 

Surgeon David Mitchell was survived by three of his 
children only, George, Andrew and William. The latter, as 
already stated, died in Chicago at an advanced age ; George 
became a physician and practiced medicine in Penetangui- 
shene. His residence was on Water Street, the cottage now 
owned and occupied by Mr. Leslie Adams, which he built. 
He married Miss Harriet Ussher, who was on a visit to her 
cousin, Miss Hamilton, at Drummond Island, in 1819. Her 
brother was Capt. Edgeworth Ussher, who was assassinated 
by an American named Lotte on the Niagara frontier Nov., 
1838, during Rebellion times. Mr. Ussher had retired for the 
night when he was called down on the pretense that some 
person outside wished to speak to him. He objected to going 
outsiae in his night-robe and turned to go up stairs when he 
was suddenly shot through the glass fan-light in the door and 
fell dead on the stairway with the candle in his hand. Dr. 
George Mitchell died in 1842 at the age of 48 years and is 
buried in old St. James church-yard. His daughter, Louisa, 
became the wife of Edward Bawtree, M.D., Naval Surgeon at 
the Establishment, in 1847. They removed to Toronto and 
after residing there a short time he returned to England and 
Mrs. Bawtree died on the sea. Dr. Bawtree was much inter 
ested in archaeological research among the Huron remains of 
this region. Another daughter, Jessie, married C. E. Hanning 
of Toronto and Bowmanville, who will be remembered as a 



56 PIONEER PAPERS 



civil engineer in Ontario during the latter part of last century. 
One of their sons is a barrister residing at Preston, Ont. ; 
another is manager of the Montreal Bank branch at Sudbury. 
Dr. Mitchell had one son, George A., who died in 1868, a^ed 
33 years, and is buried in St. James church-yard ; he occupied 
the Mitchell farm across the bay at the time of his death. 
Andrew Mitchell, the third son of the surgeon, was associated 
with his father in the mercantile business at Mackinaw and 
Drummond Island and engaged in the fur trade, acquiring by 
inheritance his father s business here, and was principal man 
ager in each locality. It is said that in the early days when 
furs were more plentiful here he conducted one of the largest 
fur trades on this continent, the annual sales attracting buy 
ers from New York, London, Eng., Germany, and even from 
Australia. Within the last thirty years we have known the 
annual sales of furs here to range from $12,000 to $20,000 each 
season. The building of the C.P.R. and the advance of set 
tlement have gradually reduced the fur trade to a minimum. 
Andrew Mitchell became an expert in handling furs and for 
several seasons previous to the U. S. civil war was employed 
by Mr. Meyers, an extensive dealer, in making trips to New 
York and across the continent to San Francisco in fur deal 
ing operations. Andrew Mitchell married Louisa A., third 
daughter of Capt. James Matthew Hamilton by his second 
marriage and had four children, two of whom still survive : 
David J. and Andrew (twin sons) engaged in extensive busi 
ness in Chicago. Andrew, Jr., and his family visit the Islands 
near here every summer and spend the heated term. David 
J. of La Grange, 111., visited the scenes of his boyhood days 
here in 1910 after an absence of forty years. Needless to say, 
remarkable changes from the olden days greeted him. From 
that obscure corner on Water and Queen Streets where the 
first post office for the town was established Andrew Mitchell, 
Sr., did a large mercantile and general business as well as 
fur trade till his death in 1838. 

During that period, about 1834, he built the Mitchell 
mansion on the same lot on the brow of the hill facing Rob 
erts Street now renovated and rebuilt as the residence of Mr. 
W. Blanchard. This building was erected in the old style 
with huge timbers and frame-work and all else corresponding 
and was for many years one of the prominent land-marks of 
the old town, having passed into possession of the late Ed 
ward Jeffrey. A daughter of Andrew Mitchell, Louisa E., 
became the wife of the late H. H. Thompson, and is survived 



PIONEER PAPERS 57 



by three daughters, Mrs. Keating of Fort Frances, Mrs. Moles- 
worth of Sunnyside ; the wife of Mr. W. H. Hewson, Police 
Magistrate and Clerk of the town of Penetanguishene. An 
other daughter, Harriet C, married a son of Adjutant James 
Keating, and is the mother of Mrs. (Dr.) Wallbridge of Mid 
land. Andrew Mitchell enjoyed the unique relationship of 
both brother-in-law and son-in-law to Capt. James M. Hamil 
ton inasmuch as his sister was the latter s first wife, while he, 
in turn, was wedded to the daughter of Mr. Hamilton by his 
second marriage. Andrew Mitchell died, as before stated, in 
1838, rather suddenly, and his remains rest beside his father s 
in a nameless grave on the Mitchell farm (Robb s) just in 
front of the present site of the old barn. For a number of 
years a neat paling surrounded the two graves where father 
and son repose side by side in their last long sleep, but 
gradual decay and neglect have removed all traces and their 
resting place can now scarcely be identified. Andrew Mit 
chell s widow married James Stewart Darling (afterwards 
Capt.) his clerk and manager, who died in Toronto and is 
buried in Scarboro. Of this union were born two children : 
James S., who married a daughter of the late Geo. Copeland, 
and who has long been postmaster of Penetanguishene and 
connected with the office for many years ; and Agnes E., who 
became the wife of Mr. Weatherly. 

Mr. Wm. Simpson, the third in this group of fur traders 
who migrated from Drummond Island hither, built his estab 
lishment (also of logs) opposite Mitchell s on the northeast 
corner on the same streets, where he traded in general mer 
chandise and furs for many years. His shop and warehouses 
were quite extensive and stood intact till 1897, when they 
were finally removed. The residence built about the same 
time of cedar logs, since clap-boarded, is yet in a fair condi 
tion, and occupied. He must have reached here sometime 
during the summer of 1829 as his last letter (Gordon collec 
tion) is dated Drummond Island, I5th Nov., 1828, in which he 
"regrets that he cannot see him this fall, but hopes to see him 
in the spring, etc. William Simpson was born at Beauhar- 
nois, Que., in 1793 ; was educated at Montreal College ; went 
to Drummond Island and was employed in the Commissariat 
Department of the British Military station there. He after 
wards engaged in business for himself and kept a shop, and 
was Notary Public and conveyancer for some time. When 
Drummond Island was evacuated and left to the Americans 
in 1828, Mr. Simpson and others who preferred to live under 



58 PIONEER PAPERS 



the British flag, removed to Penetanguishene which had been 
selected as the Naval and Military Establishment on Lake 
Huron and where a few gunboats and a detachment of troops 
were stationed. In addition to his occupation of general 
merchant or trader, as before stated, he continued to act as 
Notary Public and Conveyancer and held the offices of Col 
lector of Customs, Magistrate, Superintendent of Schools, 
Major in the Militia, Commissioner for the protection of In 
dian lands in Ontario, and Senior Warden in St. James 
Church. In the minutes of a Vestry meeting of St. James 
Church, dated April loth, i860, we find a complimentary reso 
lution tendered to Mr. W. Simpson for twenty years service 
as Clergyman s Warden, moved by A. A. Thompson, second 
ed by Edgar Hallen. In addition to Mr. Simpson s own 
language (the English), in which he was a proficient expert, 
he could read and write both French and Ojibway. His abil 
ity was recognized in his appointment to the District Council 
as the first Superintendent of Schools for Tiny in 1844 and 
for Tiny and Tay 1853-67. (A. F. Hunter, History of Simcoe 
County, pp. 286 and 291). He was also the first District rep 
resentative for Tiny and Tay in 1842. Mr. Simpson married 
Catharine Craddock in 1832 and of this union were born five 
sons and three daughters, of whom one son, J. Craddock 
Simpson, broker, Montreal, and one daughter, Catharine E., 
Mrs. D. J. Mitchell, La Grange, III., survive. A second dau 
ghter, Henrietta F., who married Hugh P. Savigney, surveyor, 
in i860, died in 1866. Mrs. Simpson died in 1865, and Mr. 
Simpson died in 1868, aged 74 years, and their remains are 
resting in old St. James church-yard. 

Dedine Revol (Revoke) devoted his energies mostly to 
his church (R.C.) acting as Catechist and in preparing for the 
building of the first Ste. Anne s church. His house was oc 
cupied principally by one Trudeaux and Fathers Dempsey and 
Proulx, while on their mission labors here. The Misses Lizars 
in their book, "In the Days of the Canada Co," p. 396, pay a 
tribute to Father Dempsey s devotion to his work in the 
Huron Tract, where he labored previous to coming here, in 
the following terms : "He in turn was succeeded by Father 
Dempsey, a good man, beloved by Romans and Protestants, 
preaching to all alike ; he married, buried and baptised them 
with the utmost impartiality." Father Dempsey died sudden 
ly at the home of Mrs. Lalonde on the Military road south of 
here while prosecuting his mission work. Mr. Revol, al 
though exact and conscientious in the discharge of his duties, 



PIONEER PAPERS 59 



had a will of his own and was not disposed to submit meekly 
to self-assumed superiority. In a letter to his friend, George 
Gordon, at Drummond Island (Gordon collection), Mr. Fourn- 
ier, among other queries, asks, "how my friend Mr. Revol 
agrees with Mr. Lord, Viscount, Nelson." This mock title 
referred to one Lacourse, who afterwards moved to Pene- 
tanguishene and became a schoolmaster and whose son be 
came Judge LaCourse of Lindsay, moving later to Berlin, 
where he died. The building of Ste. Anne s Church (the first) 
in which Mr. Revol took an active part, has been already 
described in a previous work. Mr. Revol finally returned to 
Montreal where he spent the remainder of his days. Of these 
four families, the actual pioneers of the town, George Gordon 
reached here by batteau from Gordon s Point, the "Place of 
Penetangoushene ;" Surgeon Mitchell, Simpson and Revol 
came by the Government brig "Wellington," landing at the 
dock of the Naval Depot opposite Magazine Island. Here 
they transferred their household goods and effects to batteaux 
in which they were carried to their destination near the head 
of the bay, their future homes. This was the only means of 
conveyance possible ; in fact, no other was necessary, since 
the embryo Church Street, which, at best, was but a crude 
thoroughfare, had not yet been thought of ; not even a "blaz 
ed" trail, which reminds us of the sharp contrast with present- 
day conditions. 

The Post Office was established on the 1st of January, 
1830, in Andrew Mitchell s store, the first postmaster being 
Capt. James Matthew Hamilton, his brother-in-law. To Miss 
Mary L. Hamilton, of Toronto, his grand-daughter, we are 
indebted for most of the following particulars regarding his 
career : "Capt. Hamilton was one of several sons of the Rev. 
W. Nicholas Hamilton, Vicar of Donaghadee, County Down, 
Ireland, where he was born in 1768. He entered the army in 
1786, H.M. Fifth Regt. of Foot, known as the "Fighting 
Fifth," and was in the Dragoon Guards when he retired;" 
came with his Regiment to Canada in 1790 and was station 
ed at Mackinaw and Drummond Island. Capt. Hamilton was 
passing Surgeon Mitchell s door one day at Mackinaw when 
he saw a lovely young girl playing marbles with her brothers. 
He waited to see the game finished, and lost his heart in the 
meantime to the child of fifteen, Louisa, eldest daughter of 
Surgeon Mitchell. They were married on the I5th Nov., 1791, 
by Surgeon Mitchell, who was a Justice of the Peace, there 
being no clergymen in that part of the country in those early 



60 PIONEER PAPERS 



days. He read the ceremony from the Church of England 
Prayer Book. Not long afterward his Regiment was ordered 
to Niagara and as soon as convenient Capt. Hamilton and his 
wife Louisa were re-married by Rev. Robert Addison in St. 
Mark s military church, Niagara, and is duly recorded in the 
register, "Married Aug. 24th, 1792, Captain James Hamilton 
to Louisa, his wife." In Miss Janet Carnochan s compilation 
of the records of St. Mark s church, this quaint record stands 
third on the list. (An explanatory note solves the apparent 
anomaly . See Ontario Historical Society, Papers and Rec 
ords, III., 1901, p. 53). Capt. Hamilton was in command of 
Fort Chippawa in 1795 and was shortly afterwards sent home 
to England with his Regiment. (During his stay at Chippa 
wa he and Mrs. Hamilton had the honor of entertaining Gov 
ernor Simcoe and family. In J. Ross Robertson s Diary of 
Mrs. Simcoe, p. 286, is the following record by Lady Simcoe : 
Tues, 25th, "The Governor and I and Francis went in a car 
riage to Fort Chippawa - - dined and slept at Capt. Hamil 
ton s, who commands here.") The climate of England was 
not suited to Capt. Hamilton s young wife, who soon fell into 
a decline and died in London, Dec. 22nd, 1802. They had 
four children, only one of whom survived, Elizabeth, who 
came to Canada when 17 years of age and married a young 
officer in the Indian Department. In 1803 Capt. Hamilton 
married his second wife, Miss Louisa Jupp of London. The 
children of this union were Sophia S., Mary Christian, Louisa 
A., James, William B., Gustavus George, Caroline J., and 
Francis J. He returned with his family to Canada in 1830 
and a few years later settled on an estate near Coldwater, 
where he died in 1845, leaving his widow (who died in 1852) 
and seven children surviving him, viz. : Sophia S.. who mar 
ried Dr. Paul Darling, surgeon to the Indian department at 
Manitoulin, who died in 1849 leaving his widow and two dau 
ghters surviving him. He was a brother of Capt. James Stew 
art Darling and is buried in St. James church-yard ; Mary 
Christian died in Plymouth, England, in 1825 ; Louisa A., as 
before stated, became the wife successively of Andrew Mit 
chell and Capt. James Stewart Darling ; Wm. B. succeeded 
his father in the post office here, later removing to Colling- 
wood ; Gustavus George became merchant and Clerk of the 
Court at Ailsa Craig in Western Canada and died at Port 
Stanley on Lake Erie. He had six children, Mrs. Brown of 
Collingwood and Miss Mary L. Hamilton of Toronto, being 
daughters. Caroline J. became Mrs. Basil Rowe of Orillia ; 
Francis J. was unmarried. The late Mrs. Sophia Rowe of To- 



PIONEER PAPERS 61 



ronto was a grand-daughter of Capt. James Hamilton, she be 
ing a daughter of Capt. T. G. Anderson who married Eliza 
beth, daughter of Capt. Hamilton by his first wife, and there 
fore great grand-daughter of Surgeon David Mitchell. On 
his return to Canada with his family, Capt. Hamilton was 
stationed a short time at Drummond Island, which must have 
been previous to 1828, as it was in Nov. of that year the gar 
rison was removed to Penetanguishene. Capt. Hamilton was 
possessed of considerable mechanical genius. He was the 
inventor of what is known as the "Feather Water Wheel" 
improvement attached to side-wheel steamboats and other 
craft in universal operation and which he did much to further 
perfect and improve. From his estate on North River to which 
he retired soon after receiving his appointment as postmaster 
at Penetanguishene, between which and North River there 
was direct water communication, he was wont to make frequ 
ent excursions here with his new propelling apparatus and 
try conclusions with sailing craft on the bay, in which con 
tests, local authorities affirm, he sometimes got "worsted." 
The late H. H. Thompson used to relate an account of one of 
these trials of speed in which Capt. Hamilton came last in 
the race. His duties as postmaster were generally performed 
by proxy, either by his brother-in-law, Andrew Mitchell, (the 
office being in the same building) or by his son, William B., 
who, at his father s death, was appointed to the position, and 
who had virtually discharged the duties of the office for sev 
eral years. 

William Basil Hamilton was married twice. By his first 
wife, whose name or family we have so far failed to learn, he 
had one daughter, who became Mrs. Bernard, and who died 
at Richmond Hill. His second wife was Miss Jessie J. Camp 
bell, daughter of Lachlan Campbell of the garrison, by whom 
he had a lar^e family, several dying in infancy. Their births 
and deaths are duly recorded in St. James Register. One of 
his sons, Lachlan H. of Lome Park, Toronto, became a civil 
engineer and was in the C.P.R. land office at Winnipeg, and 
consulting engineer for the railway for several years. An 
other son, Rev. Heber J. Hamilton, is Anglican Bishop of 
mid-Japan. One son, W. A., is postmaster of Collingwood, 
and Basil G. Hamilton of Wilmer, B.C., is another. Mrs. 
Leask of Collingwood is a daughter. Mr. Hamilton was elect 
ed first Parishioners Warden at the consecration of St. James 
church in 1840. At a Vestry meeting in St. James church, 
1855, those present expressed their regret at the prospect of 



62 PIONEER PAPERS 



his leaving the place and returned their sincere thanks for 
his faithful services as People s Warden for fifteen years. After 
serving as postmaster here for twenty years and upwards he 
removed to Collingwood in 1855, where he was appointed to 
the same position, which he filled for twenty-two years. He 
was succeeded by J. S. Darling. After his removal the post- 
office was kept for a time on the opposite corner towards Mc- 
Gibbon s mill, which building was afterwards burned. When 
the "Georgian Bay" block was built the post-office was re 
moved there and kept in the premises now occupied by the 
Bank of Toronto branch till the present post-office building 
was erected. The present occupant of the office, Mr. J. S. 
Darling, is closely related to Mr. Hamilton, being a sister s 
son, and served his apprenticeship with him. Thus, in this 
year of grace, 1912, the office has been continuously in the 
Hamilton family for 82 years. 



CHAPTER VII. 
EARLY ROADS AND MAILS. 

Official records inform us that the first mail carrier was 
John Whalen of Whalen s clearing below the hill on the 
Military road beyond Mundy s canteen. The mail was car 
ried on horseback between Penetanguishene and Holland 
Landing once a week. This is the first horse we hear of after 
Gordon lost his, three years previously. 

During 1829-30 a trail was opened (a primitive one at that) 
from the brow of the hill at the garrison towards the pros 
pective town, following the Military road to Wilberforce St. 
back of North ward school-house, where it turned to the right 
crossing lots back of where St. Tames church now stands, 
thence following Church Street on the level as near as may 
be till reaching Teuton s corner and Yeo Street where it dip 
ped down into the cedars behind the Beck residence and 
across the Crawford gardens keeping close to the bank nearly 
to the present residence of Edmund Gendron, where stood 
formerly Donovan s tavern. From this point the trail crossed 
Fox Street passing near the site of V. Martin s dwelling and 
the old Anglican parsonage, thence crossing Peel Street just 
below the present post-office, continuing its course to the 
intersection of Simcoe and Main Streets in front of Thomp 
son s store and so on down the present Water St. to Mitchell s 



PIONEER PAPERS 63 



corner. This primitive trail supplied the place of the present 
Church Street for several years or till after the completion of 
St. James church or the erection of the soldiers houses form 
ing the lines. Traces of the original road are still visible at 
the corner of Church and Yeo Streets where the grove is in 
tersected by a deep cut. A few foundation stones and strag 
gling fruit trees near the Gendron residence show where the 
Donovan tavern formerly stood. Beyond Mitchell s corner 
southward an impenetrable cedar swamp occupied the valley 
extending nearly to Copeland s creek. To reach La Fontaine, 
first called Ste. Croix, the trail was continued from Mitchell s 
corner round the brow of the hill back of the dwellings on 
east Roberts Street, following the brow of the hill to the vici 
nity of C. E. Wright s present slaughterhouse, where it de 
scended to the plain, thence across to Copeland s creek. 
Traces of this long-forgotten thoroughfare are still plainly 
visible in many places along the brow of the hill. The late 
E. Cloutier, father of Joseph Cloutier, was later employed, 
with others, to cut a road through the swamp in alignment 
with the present Roberts Street which, for a long time, was 
only passable on horseback. The late Mr. Cloutier used to 
say a bottle of whiskey was hidden at the foot of the hill be 
yond Copeland s by some of the workmen which was never 
recovered. If still there it will form a rare memento of the 
undertaking. 

We have before us a copy of the original survey of the 
Military road by Wilmot which passes the cricket ground 
about one mile below the garrison on the left and the site of 
Eraser s tavern on the right, following the lines towards Mid 
land harbor, till nearly opposite the Currie residence. Here 
the road made a detour into the Yates farm, the track still 
plainly marked through the bush and across the Hallen 
(Pratt s) farm, past the site of Mundy s canteen, which is 
about two miles from the garrison, and down to Whalen s 
clearing and across in a nearly direct line to Firth s corner, 
where for the first time the road meets the township line. 
This was the only road available in this region till 1833, when 
Jeffrey s Hotel (the Globe Tavern) was built and a road open 
ed from Whalen s clearing across the swamp on the township 
line and up the big hill into Main or Penetanguishene Street, 
which conforms exactly with the line between the Townships 
of Tiny and Tay. When this road first began to be used it 
was, as may be guessed, in a crude state and Mr. John Quigley 
states that his father, the late Sergeant Quigley, was often 



64 PIONEER PAPERS 



roused from his bed at one, two and three o clock in the morn 
ing to assist in getting loaded teams up that terrible hill, 
which had been stalled in the mud at the bottom. 

As the reader has noticed heretofore private letters and 
Government despatches were carried by half-breed, or Indian, 
express, so marked on the letter or per favor of some friend 
journeying that way, only as occasion required or accident 
made necessary. Hereafter military requirements and public 
needs were combined to be served at stated periods. Mr. 
Whalen carried the mail for about three years and was suc 
ceeded by two brothers, Edward and Miles McDonald, who 
did not always have the assistance of a horse, but often car 
ried the mail on foot. They were succeeded after a time by 
the late Francis Dusome, who rode on horseback and during 
the winter season used a light sleigh on which he carried 
other commodities as well. On one occasion he carried a two 
bushel bag half full of leaden bullets for the Military. Com 
ing through the big woods below Wyebridge on the hill the 
bullets in some way slipped off the sleigh and spilled in the 
snow ; he gathered them up as best he could but the snow 
was deep and he was compelled to leave half a bushel or so 
on the road. The redoubtable Neddy McDonald, as he was 
called, continued mail-carrying and other jobs around Pene- 
tanguishene for many years and ended his days here. He 
was the embodiment of vigor and energy and is still well re 
membered by many of the townspeople. 

It is curious reading to note that in those days there was 
no post office nearer than Holland Landing. Judge Boys, in 
giving some reminiscences of Barrie in 1884, says : "In the 
early days there used to be no regular post office nearer than 
Penetanguishene to the north and Holland Landing to the 
south. Between these two offices a mail carrier passed on 
foot once a week, and he was afterwards allowed to drop and 
take up a mail bag on his journey to and fro at Barrie." A. 
F. Hunter, History of Simcoe County, Vol. L, p. 155. This 
need not be surprising when we learn from official records 
that Barrie post office was not commissioned till 1835. The 
Military road is marked on some maps as Wilberforce Street 
in honor of the great abolitionist of that name and from a 
colony of negroes that was located on the road, or near it, in 
Oro, some years ago by a philanthropic association. 



PIONEER PAPERS 65 



CHAPTER VIII. 
NOTABLE VISITORS OF THE EARLY DAYS 

As before stated, John Gait, the famous writer, visited 
Penetanguishene in 1827, coming by the Military road and 
"stopping," he says in his account, "at a farm house over 
night, about half way to Penetanguishene. Next day," he 
says, "we proceeded to the Military station and dock-yard by 
a path through the woods, which to the honor of the late Mr. 
Wilberforce bears his name. Along it are settled several 
negro families." As the eastern boundary of the town of 
Penetanguishene, the street leading towards Midland harbor 
from the Asylum, is named on the maps "Wilberforce Street," 
Mr. Gait s reference may be easily misleading. He had ref 
erence, doubtless, to the negro colony in Oro somewhere in 
the vicinity of Edgar. (See A. F. Hunter s History of Simcoe 
County, Vol. II., p. 144.) 

Among the noted travellers visiting Penetanguishene was 
Sir John Franklin, the Arctic explorer, and his party of 33 in 
1825. He was accompanied by Lieut. Back and Dr. Richard 
son, whose names acquired prominence in the history of 
future arctic explorations. He had been instructed by the 
British Government to find, if possible, a sea passage between 
the North Atlantic and the North Pacific oceans. They em 
barked at Liverpool in Feb. 1825, and reached Penetangui 
shene on the l8th April following. They came around by 
the Nottawasaga portage, travelling with ox team and other 
conveyance, sailing thence around to Penetanguishene. While 
they were hospitably entertained as the guests of Capt. Doug 
las who was the Commander of the post, they were billeted 
at the "Masonic Arms" kept by Mrs. Johnston. The VOYAG- 
EURS, of whom about 22 accompanied the expedition, en 
camped in tents on the beautiful sward or open space near 
the shore between the present site of the Officers quarters 
and the late Adjutant Keating s residence. The spot is famil 
iar to most townspeople, especially to the older ones. Many 
reminiscences of Sir John Franklin s sojourn here are still 
recalled. This was one of the special occasions when the 



66 PIONEER PAPERS 



silver tea-pot of Westminster Abbey fame did duty for Mrs. 
Johnston s guests. Sir John seems to have dispensed favors 
with a liberal hand. Many small mementos of his visit were 
scattered here and there, among them a leather-covered trunk 
of substantial old English make, filled with a Britannia metal 
tea service and other articles, no doubt a timely provision for 
arctic conditions, was left with Mrs. Johnston, and was until 
recently in possession of the Gidley family. When Mrs. 
Johnston s effects were being disposed of an extra price was 
placed upon a lounge divan because Sir John Franklin had 
reposed on it. A small writing table, once used by him, also 
brought an extra price. The party halted here as a rendez 
vous awaiting additional VOYAGEURS, canoes and stores ex 
pected from Montreal. On the 25th April the expedition set 
sail for the frozen north passing through Fort William, where 
they met Admiral Bayfield and his surveying party building 
the "New Recovery." Lieut. Back and Bayfield met again at 
Quebec 8 years later. Sir John Franklin and his party re 
turned in 1827 via the Ottawa River. His last voyage was 
made in 1845, from which he never returned. Search expedi 
tions were sent out from time to time for his rescue, among 
them that of Dr. Rae s. With him went a former townsman, 
the late Narcisse Miner, who married a sister of Mrs. George 
Dube, and who died at She-be-she-kong in 1907, aged 97 vears 
and 5 months. Some surprise may be expressed that Drum- 
mond Island was not chosen as the place of rendezvous for 
Sir John Franklin and his voyageurs, being nearer the route 
from Montreal and the mouth of the French River, but it 
must be remembered that Drummond Island was on the eve 
of transition, about to be relegated to the Americans, and 
that in reality the most "inland post that owned obedience to 
the meteor flag of England" was Penetanguishene. 

Lord William Montague, Duke of Manchester, was evi 
dently a frequent visitor to Canada. Hon. Thomas Ridout, 
Surveyor-General of Canada, at that time, in a letter to his 
son in England dated York, Sept. nth, 1811, says: "The Duke 
of Manchester returned hither yesterday from Lake Huron by 
way of Yonge Street and Lake Simcoe. I saw him this morn 
ing at the Governor s." The query is as to the objective point 
of his visit on Lake Huron, since the post at Penetanguishene 
was not even in embryo. He may have been exploiting the 
Nottawasaga portage or exploring Governor Simcoe s foot 
steps down the Severn River to Matchedash and the "Rolling 
Sands." By-the-way, Mr. Ridout in this same letter, says in- 



PIONEER PAPERS 67 



cidentally, that "He has given instructions to Mr. Wilmot to 
lay off a road from Kempenfeldt Bay, on Lake Simcoe, to 
Lake Huron, into lots, and a village at each extremity of the 
road, which he hopes will be executed by Christmas." Then 
we have the Duke of Manchester again, eight years later, 
with his brother-in-law, the Duke of Richmond, and party, 
when he is entertained at the "Masonic Arms." Again, the 
"Acadian Recorder," of Halifax, says, in 1826, that the Duke 
of Manchester and several other gentlemen in company with 
the Earl of Dalhousie were expected from Canada late in 
July, and on the night of Aug. 1st a ball was given in honor 
of the Countess of Dalhousie. 

The Duke of Northumberland has already been mention 
ed in connection with his trip through the Indian trail from 
Colborne Bay (Northwest Basin) to Thunder Bay. The ancient 
family name was Dudley, which carries us back to that period 
of English history when the ill-fated Lord Dudley lost his 
head and the Duke of Northumberland s estates were forfeit 
ed to Queen Mary. The Rev. W. H. Adams, of Markdale, 
has kindly furnished the following additional particulars : 
"The family name was formerly Smithson, but in 1750 they 
assumed the name of Percy and the heir of the living Duke 
is styled Earl Percy, said to be descended from a Percy who 
came over at the Conquest. Hugh Percy, K.G., who became 
third Duke in 1817, was Viceroy of Ireland, Lord Lieut, and 
Vice-Admiral of Northumberland. Algernon, his brother, 
succeeded as fourth Duke in 1847. Earl Percy, in Feb., 1911, 
while on the staff of our Governor-General, walked along the 
tracks of the C.P.R. from Montreal to Ottawa for a wager." 
Algernon it was who visited the "Rolling Sands," and who 
also provided a seat at Launceston, Eng., for Judge Haliburt- 
on of Nova Scotia, our Canadian "Sam Slick," as M.P. in 
1858. 

Another distinguished visitor to the "Lake Huron Estab 
lishment," was Lord Stanley, I5th Earl Derby, who made an 
extended tour of Canada, United States and West Indies in 
1848, during which tour he was elected to Parliament in Eng 
land while absent. Edward Henry Stanley, 15th Earl of 
Derby, born in 1826, died in 1893, was descended from Thomas 
Stanley, first Earl Derby, step-father of King Henry VII., Earl 
of Richmond. He was Secretary for India in the second 
Stanley Government in 1858 and became Secretary for the 
Colonies in 1882-85. His brother, Lord Stanley of Preston, 
who was Governor-General of Canada in 1893 at the time of 



68 PIONEER PAPERS 



his death, succeeded to his titles and estates. His father, 
Hon. Edward Geoffrey Stanley, I4th Earl of Derby, who 
was Chief Secretary for Ireland in Lord Grey s Government, 
also visited Canada in 1824. 

Dr. Scadding in "Toronto of Old," page 124, gives an 
extract from the "Canadian Review/ noting the arrival of 
distinguished strangers at Montreal during December of that 
year, among others "Hon. E. G. Stanley (Earl of Derby from 
1851-69) grandson of Earl Derby, M.P. for Stockbridge," 
which is probably a slip of the pen, as the Hon. E. G. Stanley 
was his son and the M.P. for Stockbridge who succeeded to 
his father s earldom in 1851. We have no record of his hav 
ing extended his visits to Lake Huron. His son and succes 
sor, Hon. Edward Henry, however, visited these northern 
regions during Commander Keating s regime. He ascended 
the Ottawa River to Mattawa, where the trail turns off to 
wards Lake Nippising, following the usual fur trade route to 
Lake Superior and the west, returning by Lake Huron. At 
Mattawa he and his party halted over night and was enter 
tained by Colin Rankin, Esq., Hudson Bay Go s, factor. The 
arrival of the traveller and his retinue was an event of im 
portance, resulting, as a matter of course, in the usual gather 
ing of curiosity seekers. On venturing the question as to who 
the great personage was, to one of the attendant voyageurs, 
he raised both hands, it is said, and with unspeakable awe 
exclaimed, "He is greater than G d Almighty Himself." 
He travelled in considerable state, being accompanied by two 
guides and several servants. He was the guest of Adjutant 
Keating who was Commandant in charge here though as cus 
tomary on such occasions entertained at the "Masonic Arms." 
Lord Stanley also paid a visit to the Laird of the Talbot set 
tlement, so says Lady Jamieson in her "Winter Studies and 
Summer Rambles;" but this may have been his father, Hon. 
E. G. Stanley, before referred to as having arrived at Montre 
al in 1824 and in whose honor Stanley Township in the 
Huron district is named. As he visited the western settle 
ments he may have visited Penetanguishene, though we have 
no account of it. 

Capt Basil Hall, the eminent traveller and writer, visited 
the Bay in 1827 and describes the annual distribution of 
presents to the Indians at Holland Landing on his way 
through. Sir John Ross, the famed navigator, stopped here 
on his way north in 1848 in command of one of the search 



PIONEER PAPERS 69 



expeditions sent out to find Sir John Franklin. Sir John Ross 
was associated from time to time, up to this period, with sev 
eral persons who played conspicuous parts in the struggles 
incident to early Canadian history and whose names have 
become almost household words and mementos of those 
strenuous days. Sir Robert McClure, who accompanied him 
on this expedition, was born in Wexford in 1807, served on 
the Canadian lakes and discovered the Northwest passage 
in 1850. Sir Edward Parry, born at Bath in 1790, served on 
the North American station from 1812-17, accompanied Sir 
John Ross to Lancaster Sound in 1818 and in command of 
the "Hecla" discovered Melville Sound in 1819, called Parry 
Sound in his honor and after whom Admiral Bayfield named 
our Canadian Parry Sound. General Sir Edward Sabine, born 
in England in 1786, fought in the Siege of Fort Erie in 1814 
and in the campaign on the Niagara frontier, accompanied 
Ross and Parry in their expedition of 1818 to the Arctic sea 
and became Secretary and President of the British Associa 
tion. A township in the Nippising District honors his name. 
Both Sir John Ross and his nephew, Sir James Ross, have 
their names perpetuated in Ross township, Renfrew County ; 
while "McClure" township, County of Hastings, honors that 
of Sir Robert McClure ; Franklin township in Muskoka, and 
Franklin Inlet on the Georgian Bay, besides numerous me 
mentos, perpetuate the name of Sir John Franklin, the fam 
ous but ill-fated Arctic explorer, who, after braving the 
storms of southern seas in Australia and VanDieman s Land, 
suffering shipwreck and attacks of pirates in the Indian 
Ocean and China, escaping shot and shell in the "Bellero- 
phon" at Trafalgar and at New Orleans, though wounded, in 
the American War of 1812, was destined to perish, with his 
companions, in the frozen North beyond the reach of human 
aid. Lord Morpeth, whom we have previously mentioned ; 
Lord Arthur Lennox, son of the Duke of Richmond ; Earl of 
Carlisle ; Lord Prudhoe and Sir Henry Harte, two naval 
Captains, were all visitors to this post during the thirties and 
forties, and were guests at the "Masonic Arms." 



70 PIONEER PAPERS 



CHAPTER IX. 
THE GARRISON AND ITS PIONEERS. 

In addition to the original block-house built by Colonel 
Head, Commander Roberts establishment, Admiral Bayfield s 
residence and the Naval Depot, there had been built up to 
1828 : Mr. Wilson s shipwright s house, seaman s barracks, 
mess house, soldiers barracks, hospital, guard house, Dr. 
Todd s surgeon s dwelling, Mr. Chile s (Clerk of Stores) dwel 
ling, Lieut. Jackson s house and several artificers dwellings, 
all of logs in crude pioneer style. The guard-house was 
located half way up the hill back of the naval depot. Admir 
al Bayfield s establishment was in the extreme north and the 
hospital in the extreme south, considerably isolated, while 
the remaining buildings were located at intervals between, 
occupying varying positions on the hill slope. In 1830 the 
original block-house had become too narrow and circumscrib 
ed in its quarters for the growing needs of naval and military 
expansion, especially since the recent transfer of the Drum- 
mond Island military forces and appointments to Penetangui- 
shene. Accordingly, in that year the original log house, 
shingled from top to base, was superseded by a stone struct 
ure 60 x 180 feet, two stories high and square-roofed, situated 
between the site of the present Officers quarters and the bay 
towards the west, affording an effectual command of the en 
trance to the harbor. The original block-house, or fort, was 
afterwards used as an annex or kitchen to the dwelling used 
by the military chaplain, Rev. G. Hallen, till his own parson 
age was built, the residence latterly occupied by E. W. Mur 
phy, so long a teacher in the "Ontario Reformatory for Boys/ 
The old building was sometimes used by Mr. Hallen as a 
school-room, as some of the older residents still living re 
member attending Sunday School there, and which stood till 
after the 40 s. The new barracks were built by Jacob Gill, 
and the Officers quarters at the same time by Stephen Jeffery 
who had the contract for supplying stone for both, which he 
brought from Quarry Island in his own schooner, "Annie and 
Jane." Sergeant McCarthy, father of the late James Mc 
Carthy, who was a stone-cutter by trade, had the contract 



PIONEER PAPERS 71 



under Jeffery, for cutting the stone for the Officers quarters, 
every block containing, strangely enough, both the initials of 
the workman and a Masonic emblem, many of them showing 
on the outside of the building. This curious fact attracted 
the attention of the late Kivas Tully, the distinguished civil 
engineer of Toronto and eminent member of the Masonic 
fraternity, who was a frequent visitor to his daughter, the 
wife of the late Mr. Band so long the bursar of the Ontario 
institution, and during which time his family occupied the 
old quarters. Not being conversant with the secrets of that 
Order we have no means of knowing what Mr. Tully s con 
clusion regarding these emblems were or the purpose served 
in placing them there. We have before us a photo of the 
original mansion (still standing) erected by Surgeon Mitchell 
in Mackinaw in 1/90, a quaint frame structure which must 
have been a rather pretentious building, indeed, for that early 
day ; also one of the Officers quarters erected in 1/66, the 
latter almost an exact replica of the Officers quarters here, 
save where the latter has been adorned with verandahs, porch 
es, annexes, etc., to render it more comfortable as a private 
dwelling. Both were built under direction of the British, and 
the broad stone chimneys, cottage roofs and embrasured walls 
(the embrasures bricked up), point to the same military archi 
tect and uniform plans. 

From the late John Gill of Coldwater, born in Newmarket 
in 1827, son of Jacob Gill, builder of the stone barracks, and 
from Mrs. Leonard Wilson s reminiscences of her father pub 
lished in the Orillia Packet Feb. 29th, 1912, we glean the fol 
lowing : "Jacob Gill, carpenter and builder, came from Ver 
mont to Canada in 1811 and joined the British forces as 
Commissary and was sent in 1814 to open the portage from 
Kempenfeldt Bay to Nottawasaga River and build ships for 
the government. He was left with two other men the suc 
ceeding winter to guard government stores and before spring 
ran short of provisions. Their expedition to Penetanguishene 
to procure supplies, and their rough experience, has already 
been detailed. He was afterwards sent by the authorities to 
build storehouses and docks at Fort Gwillim (Holland Land 
ing.) Mr. Gill then settled at Newmarket, where part of his 
family were born and where he remained till October, 1829, 
when he moved with his family to Penetanguishene, having 
during that year built a sawmill on what is now Copeland s 
Creek for cutting the lumber for the government buildings, 
barracks and Officers quarters, that were being erected at the 



72 PIONEER PAPERS 



garrison. According to Mr. John Gill s statement, this mill 
was built for Andrew Mitchell, but Mrs. Wilson says it was 
built for Mr. William Robinson. The latter is probably cor 
rect. The family left Newmarket on Monday morning, reach 
ed Holland Landing, where they found shelter over night in 
a deserted government building. Next morning they board 
ed a schooner with their goods and proceeded down the Hol 
land River and across Lake Simcoe to Kempenfeldt Bay, 
which they reached next day in the afternoon, landing near 
the present site of Barrie, where they built a fire and cooked 
their supper. They left their goods in a small storehouse kept 
by a man named Sullenger to be sent by the Nottawasaga 
Portage, and spent that night at the house of Alex. Walker, 
who kindly permitted them to take shelter in an unfinished 
dwelling, and who next day took them in a lumber waggon 
as far as Kerridge s brewery near Dalston. A negro named 
Smith agreed to take them to Penetanguishene, and after 
various vicissitudes and spending another night in a partially 
finished house, they reached Mundy s canteen late after dark 
on Saturday night. In passing through what was known as 
the Nine-mile bush, the children rode in the waggon while 
the elders walked, and the road was so narrow in places that 
Mr. Gill was frequently obliged to get a pole to pry the wag 
gon hubs off the trees. Sunday morning they arrived at the 
town of Penetanguishene, two miles from what was called 
the Establishment. Next morning they were taken across 
the bay to the mouth of the stream on which the mill was 
built and taken in an ox-cart to the house just a week from 
one home to the other. The goods and household furniture 
were brought around from Nottawasaga Bay in batteaux. 
Some of the timbers for the barracks being too long and large 
to cut at the mill were sawn by hand, one man standing on 
the log, lying on beams over a pit, another in the pit below, 
each alternately pulling the saw up and down. The material 
was then hauled to the shore, made into rafts and floated 
down the bay to the garrison. Mr. Gill acted as book-keeper 
and paymaster to the workmen during the summer of 1831. 
The next winter he returned with his family to Newmarket, 
going in sleighs, taking three days and a half. It should have 
been mentioned that, during Mr. Gill s previous residence at 
Newmarket, he built the grist mill at Coldwater in 1828 for 
the Indian Department Their stay in Newmarket at this 
time was not long, for in the ensuing spring, 1832, he was 
ordered to Orillia to superintend the erection of the Indian 
houses. The family followed in June, finding shelter at Hoi- 




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PIONEER PAPERS 73 



land Landing on the way, in the same old log house as on 
the former journey, reaching Orillia by schooner at 10 o clock 
at night. Mr. Gill s letters at this time were mailed to Pene- 
tanguishene,that being the nearest postoffice,andthen brought 
to him by the soldiers of the Commissary department. Dur 
ing this period he built the mills at Marchmont, and in 1841 
built a grist mill nearly all of wood for Mr. Copeland at Pene- 
tanguishene on the same stream near the original saw mill, 
built by himself. His last work for government was the 
building of the Wek-wam-i-kon Indian home at Manitoulin 
in 1839 under the supervision of Capt. Anderson, Indian 
Agent. Mr. Gill settled at Coldwater, where he died in 1846." 

The solitary house mentioned above, Mr. Gill s temporary 
home, was a rustic log hut, the pioneer in that region, situated 
on the banks of the stream not far from the mill and near the 
site where Mr. Copeland subsequentty built his residence, the 
first brick building in Tiny and which, in turn, was replaced 
by the present palatial residence, though not on the same site. 
It would be interesting to know who was the owner of the 
pioneer ox-cart which carried Mr. Gill s family and goods to 
their home. It must have been owned on that side of the 
harbor, for Roberts Street was yet an impenetrable swamp, 
and it would be a miraculous feat to drive an ox-cart through 
the primitive trail round the brow of the hill. The outfit may 
have been the property of one Beausoleil, an early voyageur, 
whose name belongs to Beausoleil Island, who settled later 
on the mainland and who was spoken of previously as hav 
ing been for many years the owner of an ox and cart. The 
brick for the Copeland residence, built in the latter end of 
the 40 s, were burned by the late Henry Hark of Tiny, who 
came here from Toronto and was the first plasterer and brick 
layer engaged by the government authorities and brought to 
the garrison, for which he burned several of the earliest brick 
kilns. Mr. Hark was an expert mechanic and rapid workman. 
He delighted in relating an amusing story of a contest with a 
brother mechanic in Toronto named Fox. The latter, know 
ing Mr. Hark s ability for speed, completed several yards of 
plastering, then challenged Mr. Hark for a race. The latter, 
nothing loth and full of pluck, accepted the challenge and, 
notwithstanding his opponent had several yards the advant 
age, when night came Mr. Hark had beaten the "sly Fox" at 
his "cunning game." Mr. Hark died in 1897, aged 90 years. 

Stephen Jeffery had the first brick-yard within the town 
limits on the vacant space between Maria and Harriet Sts., 



74 PIONEER PAPERS 



near their junction with Edward Street. Two or three trees 
have grown up on the deserted site where for many years 
vitrified portions of brick were seen scattered about. Steph 
en Jeffery was a prominent figure in Penetanguishene during 
its busiest naval and military period and his family at one 
time occupied a large place in the affairs of the town and the 
history of its progress. Stephen Jeffery, the founder of the 
Jeffery family, was born in Cornwall, Eng., whence he with 
his brother Joseph came to Canada in 1827, settling near 
York (Toronto) in the Home District. There is a venerable, 
well-built stone mansion near the Humber River, which has 
an interesting history, and is known as the Jeffery Mansion, 
but we have not been able to trace any connection between 
the two families. Shortly afterwards Joseph Jeffery went 
west and has never been heard from since. Stephen Jeffery, 
it is also stated, spent a short time in the Niagara District. 
In the fall of 1829 he sailed the first vessel through the Wei- 
land Canal on its being opened for traffic and coasted around 
to Penetanguishene, where he engaged in a contract with the 
government for supplying stone for building the Officers 
quarters and the Soldiers barracks. Official records inform 
us that the Welland Canal was opened for traffic on the 27th 
Nov., 1829, and that the first vessel, the schooner "Annie & 
Jane," of York, Upper Canada, Capt. J. Voller, left Port Dal- 
housie on the same date, arriving at Buffalo on 2nd Dec., 1829. 
It will be interesting information and probably news to many 
to learn that the route of the original Welland Canal was 
from Port Dalhousie to Port Robinson on the Welland River, 
thence down the Wei] and River or Chippewa Creek to Chip- 
pewa, where it forms the junction with the Niagara River and 
up that river to Buffalo. The second vessel which passed the 
canal, as we learn, was the schooner "R. H. Boughton" of 
Youngstown, N.Y., following immediately after, "precedence," 
it says, "being given to the British boat." In the Canadian 
Archives Report, 1898, page 202, a dispatch from Maitland to 
Earl Bathurst, dated Nov. 8th, 1829, contains a petition from 
the Welland Canal Company for a grant of land, but objec 
tion is taken as to the route of the canal, also that half the 
stock is subscribed in the U.S. The above facts are remind 
ers that loyalty and patriotism insisted on due recognition in 
the early days. 

Mr. Jeffery has left no record as to the time occupied in 
coasting around to Penetanguishene, but his arrival must have 
verged close on Dec. 10th, either way, which points to a rough 



PIONEER PAPERS 75 



and stormy passage, at least, unless the season was unusually 
late and open, which may have been the case. Mr. Jeffery 
opened a stone quarry on an island in Gloucester Bay in the 
vicinity of Beausoleil Island, where he procured the stone for 
the Officers quarters and barracks, and which has since been 
known as Quarry Island, from which he transported the stone 
in his schooner "Annie & Jane." After completing his con 
tract with the government Mr. Jeffery built a canteen at the 
garrison and kept soldiers supplies. The building, of logs, 
is now entirely obliterated, but the site may still be seen on 
the slope of the hill between the present site of the Medical 
Superintendent s residence and the water s edge. About this 
time Mr. Jeffery obtained a grant of 200 acres of land, Nos. 
114 and 115 on the Penetanguishene road, Township of Tay, 
extending to the Georgian Bay Hotel corner on Roberts St., 
and on the site of which he built the old Globe Tavern in 
1833, sometimes known as the Jeffery Tavern (frame), and the 
canteen at the garrison was discontinued, or kept for a time 
by one Armour, also for a season by Thomas Landrigan, who 
was Clerk and Keeper of naval stores. He afterwards built 
the "Commercial" Hotel (now the Canada House), which later 
came into the possession of the late E. Tessier, who kept this 
well known "Hostelrie" for many years, and where the first 
Orange celebration and banquet were held in Penetangui 
shene in 1859. As an evidence of the extent and influence of 
social drinking customs in those days a sentinel from the 
garrison was regularly stationed at the "Globe Tavern" for 
many years to prevent the soldiers from obtaining too much 
liquor. Thomas Connolly and Louis Carraddic will be re 
membered by some of the older townspeople as bar-keepers 
latterly at the old Globe Hotel. The original tavern was 
partially burned and rebuilt and finally replaced by the pres 
ent Georgian Bay Hotel. 

Mr. Jeffery was formerly the owner of all that block of 
land on the opposite side in Tiny Township bounded by the 
McDonald (now Beck s) farm, Queen and Roberts Streets and 
the Penetanguishene road ; also that block on the east side 
of Main Street north, bounded by Peel, Simcoe and Main Sts. 
Stephen Jeffery s wife, Ann Mary, died in 1858, aged 58 years, 
and is buried in St. James church-yard. He married Widow 
Symmonds for his second wife, by whom he had no issue. 
He died in 1867. By his first wife Stephen Jeffery had a 
family of eight children, four sons and four daughters, whose 
names were William, Edward, Harriet, Lucy, Maria and Anne, 



76 PIONEER PAPERS 



all but two, along with the family patronymic, Jeffery, are 
commemorated in these familiar streets of the town, while, 
for some reason, the names of James and Stephen have not 
been so honored. William, the eldest, married a Miss Berge 
and went to Antinogan, Mich., some years ago ; James mar 
ried a Miss Rowley, daughter of Wm. Rowley, and settled at 
Wyebridge, where he died ; his widow, still living in Midland, 
married Mr. H. Casselman for her second husband, also dead. 
Stephen enlisted as a soldier in the U.S. Civil war of 1861-5, 
lost his eye-sight, for which he received a large pension, and 
died in Michigan about 1869. Maria married Archibald Dun- 
lop, Esq., and had three children, of whom Mrs. McGibbon, 
wife of Charles McGibbon, Esq., Inspector of Indian Agenc 
ies, is one, and died in 1856. Annie became the second wife 
of Archibald Dunlop,Esq., merchant. Edward married Sophia 
Mary, daughter of Wm. Charles Bell, architect to His Majesty 
at Kingston and Penetanguishene, settled on the old home 
stead, Lot 114 (Yates farm) and latterly in the Mitchell mans 
ion on Roberts Street. Edward engaged in mercantile pur 
suits and built a store (frame) on the present site of the Mc- 
Crosson (now the Palmer) block, the first store on the hill, 
where he had an extensive business for many years. He 
built the first Methodist church in town, on the site of G. E. 
Wright s hardware store. It was converted into a store and 
burned in 1883 and replaced by Mr. Wright s present brick 
edifice. Edward Jeffery also presented four acres of land on 
Poyntz Street, where the present Parsonage stands, to the 
Methodist congregation for parsonage and cemetery purposes, 
established the first Methodist Sunday School and was gener 
al patron of the church and a liberal supporter of it. Edward 
Jeffery died in I8/I, aged 54 years. Their remains were 
at first laid to rest in the Methodist cemetery, the gift of his 
own beneficence, and where various members of his family 
were laid to rest, till the new cemetery was located beyond 
the town limits, when the remains of the members of the Jef 
fery family were consigned to St. James church-yard. Ed 
ward Jeffery s wife, Sophia Mary, died in 1898 at the ripe age 
of 8l years. Of this union were born eight children, three 
sons and five daughters. Of these, Alfred, John and Eliza 
beth died in infancy. 

Henry, the eldest, married Miss Smith of Medonte, and 
succeeded his father in mercantile business in the old stand 
and was prominent in business circles for many years. After 
the erection of the McCrosson (Palmer) block he built a new 



PIONEER PAPERS 77 



store on the site of the present Palmer block warehouse which 
was burned. He also engaged in lumbering for a time and 
owned mills at Perkinsfield. His residence was the original 
log house owned by his father till he acquired the Mitchell 
mansion, and stood south of the store, near the site of the 
livery stables, all traces of which have long since been oblit 
erated. A fair representation of the old log dwelling appears 
in the Crease drawing of 1851 now in the possession of J. 
Ross Robertson, Esq., of Toronto. Henry Jeffery was promi 
nent in church and Sunday school work and was superintend 
ent of the Methodist S. S. for many years and was the main 
support of the church and Sabbath School after his father s 
death. He was drowned in 1889 on a trip from Midland to 
Victoria Harbor with his brother-in-law, Robert Little, and a 
man named Anderson of Barrie, when the boat capsized in a 
sudden squall and all perished. His widow died a few years 
ago. They had one son and daughter, Mr. Ira Jeffery and 
Miss Edna of Toronto, who survive. 

The second son of Edward Jeffery is the well-known 
hardware merchant of Midland, Fred. W. Jeffery, Esq., ex- 
Mayor, Councilman and sometime Police Magistrate. He was 
associated with his brother Henry in mercantile business in 
Penetanguishene, where he owned considerable real estate, 
and afterwards removed to Midland, where he founded an ex 
tensive trade as general hardware merchant and has a fine 
business emporium known as the "Jeffery Block." He has 
been an active figure in town and municipal affairs. He 
married a daughter of the late Edward Osborne of Barrie. 

One daughter of Edward Jeffery became the wife of Mr. 
Standen and died in Kansas. Another daughter, Amelia, 
unmarried, is living in Midland. 

William Charles Bell, architect and builder to His Ma 
jesty, was born in 1784 in Cornwall, England. He left Ports 
mouth in 1816 for Kingston, where he was employed on gov 
ernment work, also for a time at Amherstburg, after which 
they moved to Penetanguishene. In the Canadian Archives 
Report, under date of January, 1814, a Mr. Bell is mentioned 
by Col. Bruyeres, R.E., as master builder at Amherstburgh, 
now at Kingston, and recommended by Capt. Barclay for the 
work of building gun-boats at Penetanguishene, but the dis 
crepancy in dates renders their identity uncertain though 
they were evidently one and the same person. He was asso 
ciated with the building of the barracks and Officers quarters 



78 PIONEER PAPERS 



and other structures at the garrison and navy yard, after 
which he moved down town and built a small cottage just 
behind Mr. Dubeau s residence on Roberts Street, where he 
resided for many years and which was known as Bell s cot 
tage till a recent date. He is remembered as the builder of 
the "Mitchell Mansion." Mrs. Bell was piously inclined and 
devoted to works of benevolence and charity. One daughter, 
Sophia Mary, as already mentioned, became the wife of Ed 
ward Jeffery, and was also noted for her piety and benevol 
ence ; another, Caroline, married John Birnie of Collingwood. 
Another daughter married the late Charles Sneath of Colling 
wood, brother of our respected townsman, Mr. Alfred Sneath. 
Another married the late John Chantler of Stroud, with whom 
Mr. Bell resided for a time during his closing years after his 
wife s death. Mr. Bell died in 1876. 

Mr. Tames Warren, builder of the old Magazine Block 
house on the island, was born at Chambly, Quebec, in 1807. 
His father died when he was only six months old, and his 
mother, formerly a Miss Armour, re-married while he was 
very young, to Sergeant Santlaw Rawson who later joined 
the British forces at St. Joseph s Island. James Warren came 
west with his step-father while a mere boy, but was sent back 
to Quebec for his education, and having completed it he de 
cided on learning a trade; and becoming expert at several he 
finally adopted that of carpentering and was employed on 
military works here, also at Manitoulin Island for the Indian 
Department. He married the eldest daughter of Mrs. Johns 
ton of the "Masonic Arms." Mrs. Gidley, the wife of the late 
Capt. Gidley, was a daughter, and H. E. Gidley of the Gidley 
Boat Co., and Capt. Wm. Gidley of Midland, are grandsons. 
Mr. Warren was a trustworthy public servant in municipal 
affairs and one of the earliest elected Councillors for the 
formerly united townships of Tiny and Tay. He owned a 
farm, Lot 13, con. 13 in Tay, also one in Tiny on the west 
side of the harbor, now in possession of his grandson, Capt. 
Wm. Gidley. He was also an officer in the militia, and it is 
related that while hunting for a deserter down the Military 
road he was on the verge of firing at and killing his mother- 
in-law, Mrs. Johnston, whom he mistook for the fugitive in 
the dark, and who saved herself by a timely signal. Mrs- 
Johnston was on horseback returning from a trip to Toronto. 
The old block-house attests Mr. Warren s fine workmanship 
and mechanical ability. Every beam is laid in cement and 
the corners dovetailed and neatly fitted, and although nearly 



PIONEER PAPERS 79 



a hundred years old it is a rare sample of the old-time block 
house. Mr. Warren also built the second grist mill for Mr. 
Copeland in 1855 near the site of the first one. 

Santlaw Gustavus Rawson, late Barrack Master at Drum- 
mond Island, was born in Nottinghamshire, England, in July, 
1749, came out with the 5th Regiment of Foot (Capt. Jas. M. 
Hamilton s Regiment) and fought through the American 
Revolution. He retired with the rank of Captain, drew 800 
acres of land, receiving Captain s pay, and entered business 
in Quebec as wholesale merchant in 1803. He became secur 
ity for his sons-in-law, Black & Gilmore, who failed, and his 
property was swept away. He re-entered the military service 
and went up with the government forces (Canadian Voyage- 
urs) to Mackinaw and Drummond Island where he was Bar- 
rackmaster and Pay Sergeant, removing with the forces to 
Penetanguishene in 1828. As previously noted, it became his 
unpleasant task to "lower the British Flag" while the adieus 
and hand-shaking were going on among the other officials 
on the evacuation of that island by the British forces. He 
received his discharge and $228 per annum during life, and 
in 1841 moved with his family to Price s Corners, North 
Orillia, where he resided till his death in Oct. 1845, aged 96 
years and 3 months. His wife, Ann Rawson, mother of James 
Warren, predeceased him on Oct. 9th, 1843, aged 56 years and 
6 months. Thos. Rawson, his second son, was bed-ridden 
for seven years the last year unable to speak, and died at 
Price s Corners in 1849. The late Wm. Rawson of Coldwater, 
his eldest son, was born at Drummond Island in 1817, and 
moved with his father to Penetanguishene. He married 
Frances Lepine in 1841, and made his honeymoon trip to 
Coldwater, hauling his bride on a hand-sleigh. That was 
the same year in which Rev. Geo. Hallen and his family 
moved from Medonte to Penetanguishene. Mr. Copeland 
brought the family and effects in an ox-cart, following the 
same trail most of the way. They did not meet on their 
journey, but the coincidence is a reminder of primitive means 
of transportation in the early days and a sharp contrast with 
the present. During the late William Rawson s residence 
here a laughable incident occurred, through one of those 
senseless panics which sometimes seize whole communities, 
and of which he became a self-immolated victim. The im 
pression had somehow got abroad that the "Yankees" con 
templated a descent on and capture of Penetanguishene. Mr. 
Rawson and three or four comrades had been up the North 



8o PIONEER PAPERS 



Shore for two or three weeks on their usual fishing excursions 
and returning late one afternoon on rounding Pinery Point 
into the harbor were astounded to see the garrison and em 
bryo town in gala-day attire as if a general jubilee were in 
progress. Having been beyond reach of the latest news, 
morbid imagination at once solved the mystery. The enemy 
had at last discovered Canada s vulnerable point, made a 
flank attack and captured Penetanguishene. A council of 
war was immediately held when it was decided to secrete the 
larger boat with the cargo and appurtenances in some sequest 
ered cove beyond Pinery Point and reconnoitre. To Mr. Raw- 
son was assigned the exciting task of making a reconnais 
sance in the small boat, hugging the western shore past the 
Northwest basin, while another scout struck the land trail to 
wards the same point, determined to discover, if possible, the 
real situation without undue exposure. Both scouts proceed 
ing with the utmost precaution reached the old home (Gidley 
farm) on the western shore to learn with no little chagrin the 
cause of their unwonted alarm was just a loyal and patriotic 
celebration in honor of Queen Victoria s ascension to the 
throne. Naturally the interested parties became the subjects 
of much merriment and good-natured "chaff." Mr. Rawson 
while with Tully s surveying party in 1856 made a trip from 
"Glengarry Landing" on the Nottawasaga River to "Crow s 
Tavern" and back for provisions, 7 miles through the bush. 
He started on the 1 5th March and returned on the l6th. An 
Indian in camp refused to undertake it although the party 
was short of provisions. George, another son of Santlaw 
Rawson s, born in 1823, went to Detroit and joined the Roman 
Catholic church. William Rawson died in Coldwater, in 
1897, at the ripe age of 80 years. These narratives are from 
Mr. Rawson s Diary and from the lips of the late Thomas 
Rawson, his son, who died recently in Coldwater. Mr. Wm. 
F. Rawson, of Coldwater, is a son, and Mrs. Nason of Girard, 
Mrs. Long of Albion, Penn., and Mrs. Soper of Alpena, Mich., 
are daughters. 

We have already mentioned two of the occupants of the 
nameless graves on the island close beside the old Magazine, 
viz. : Surgeon Todd and Mr. Johnston, the former, the first 
surgeon of the garrison ; the latter, the founder of the "Ma 
sonic Arms. The third mound is occupied by the remains 
of an insane soldier named James Riddell, who fell from a 
scow-load of hay and was drowned. A squad of soldiers had 
been to the Wye River gathering marsh hay. They lashed 




JAMES WARREN 



PIONEER PAPERS 81 



two large scows together, and round their sides erected poles 
fastened securely with green withes, filling the enclosure with 
bundles of hay, and in this way carried from ten to fifteen 
tons. On one of these excursions James Riddell fell off the 
scow and they fished him up, but by some means he fell off 
the second time, and as it was getting dark, after searching 
for some time, they were compelled to leave him till next day, 
when a relief squad recovered the body and the remains were 
in due time and with fitting ceremonial deposited beside the 
Magazine on the island. The little military cemetery on the 
hillside had not yet been opened. 

The soldiers also procured wild hay from the North 
River and marshes in the vicinity in the same way. The late 
Thomas Rawson of Coldwater described how, when a boy, 
he and his father, with the aid of soldiers, brought hay to the 
garrison. After tying up bundles all day and loading they 
started from the "Rock" on North River at sundown with a 
scovr-load of eighteen tons. The hay was piled high and he 
was placed at the helm with just room enough to steer by the 
aid of ropes, with no means of communication with his father 
and the soldiers in front, who patiently plied the heavy 
sweeps (oirs) all night long, reaching the garrison dock about 
sunrise. This was in order to catch the evening breeze and 
was considered fairly good time for the twenty-five miles. 
On one occasion a scow-load of hay of several tons caught 
fire after reaching the dock and was completely burned be 
fore the fire could be quenched. The fire must have been 
smouldering for some time and got headway before being 
discovered. 

There is a well-defined tradition that an Indian grave 
also exists on the island. It is said a band of Indians were 
receiving their annual presents from the government, during 
which they obtained rum from one of the canteens (Armour s) 
without authority and caroused the whole night through and 
in the melee a squaw was killed and her remains were buried 
on the island, and the band disappeared at daylight, but no 
one knows the sepulchre, and the story is not well authenti 
cated. 

Mr. Warren, as an officer in the military, was entrusted 
with the care of the Magazine and its contents, his duty being 
to guard it night and day. Sentinels were placed on the 
island and regularly relieved at stated periods. He was 
furnished with wooden boots and an iron canoe (Russian 



82 PIONEER PAPERS 



sheet iron) with which to convey ammunition to and fro be 
tween the island, the fort and the gun-boats, as occasion re 
quired. Strictest orders were maintained forbidding any 
unauthorised person from approaching the island or the 
Magazine. On one occasion a civilian, we cannot now recall 
his name, was taking a batteau load of brick up to the gar 
rison from town. When nearing the island, the batteau sprang 
a leak and was in danger of sinking. To save himself, the 
voyager steered for the nearest shore, which happened to be 
the island. The sentinel presented arms and threatening to 
fire warned the intruder off. Seeing his craft about to sink, 
brick and all, the voyager was compelled to leap overboard 
and swim for the mainland. This was a true incident; such 
is extreme military discipline. The old Block-house was 
originally surrounded by a cordon of cedar pallisades, at the 
distance of about ten or twelve feet, with a strong gateway 
in front, but all have fallen outward, except the two heavy 
gate-posts, and are lying prone in decay, their forms still dis 
cernible in the tall grass. When the garrison was withdrawn 
and the fort dismantled, a number of kegs of powder and 
valuable ammunition were, for unknown reasons, left in the 
block-house and remained intact and undisturbed for up 
wards of two years ; such were the influences of the invisible 
spirits of the dead whose bodies reposed there, which were 
popularly supposed to preside, at former times, over the 
island and exercise their guardian care. But the mysterious 
charm gradually wore away and the remaining ammunition 
vanished by degrees till all was gone. Townspeople still 
living testify to this amusing fact. 



[TO BE CONCLUDED.] 



Press of Geo. R. Osborne, Printer and Publisher, Midland, Ont. 




WILLIAM WILSON 

(1787-1870) 

THE FIRST SHIPWRIGHT OF THE GARRISON 
(See pages 23-25) 



Simcoe County Pioneer and 
Historical Society 



PIONEER PAPERS-NO. 6 



BARRIE: 

Published by the Society. 
1917. 



CONTENTS. 
CHAPTER PAGE 

X. The Fur Trade 87 

XI. Some Historic Families, (Hamilton, Keating, 

Columbus, Thompson) 96 

XII. Commanders of the "Fleet," (Moberly, Hatch, 

Herbert) 106 

XIII. Military Forces and Detachments III 

XIV. Military Officers, (Col Feilde, Sir R. Bonny- 

castle, Maj.-Gen. Crease), and Canadian 
Governors 123 

XV. Friends and Helpers of the Indians, (Capt. 

Anderson, Rev. Peter Jones) 131 

XVI. Drummond Island and Early Steamboats 134 

XVII. Pensioners and their Houses 138 

XVIII. Some Additional Families, (Copeland, Gen- 

dron, Wright, Hoar, Corbiere, and Hallen) 142 

XIX. St. James Church and Cemetery 151 

XX. St. Anne s Memorial Church and Cemetery - 158 



OLD PENETANGUISHENE 



Sketches of its Pioneer, Naval and Military Days. 



By A. C. OSBORNE. 

CHAPTER X. 

THE FUR TRADE. 

As already shown, the primary aim in projecting the 
Military road and in building Penetan^uishene Post, was 
mainly the improvement of the routes of the fur trade, coupl 
ed with Military and Naval defence and the needs of trans 
portation, settlement being a secondary consideration. The 
story of the inception and development of the Post, its place 
in the Military and Naval scheme, has been recounted in the 
preceding pages. Simultaneously, with the Military con 
structions, attention was directed to fostering the fur trade 
and promoting its interests. Depots and storehouses were 
erected to facilitate the diversion from former fur routes, turn 
ing the current of trade thitherward, and soon the new station 
assumed its share in the traffic, which, in the same region, had 
its infancy nearly two centuries before. 

The facts of history point unmistakably to the home of 
the ancient Huron as the cradle of the fur trade of the Cana 
dian west, beginning with the first Huron fur fleet that reach 
ed Quebec. Within sight of Gloucester and Christendom 
Bays on the borderlands of the Huron, was planted, long ago, 
the germ of the western fur trade, co-incident with pioneer 
French missions, almost a necessary adjunct, soon passing 
its original bounds and gradually encircling these inland 
waters. These shores witnessed its rise and progress, and 
here were passed those stages of expansion and development 
which marked its subsequent operations ; and from which 
region it spread rapidly in all directions over a large part of 
the west, ultimately reaching the Rocky Mountains and the 
Pacific coast. This profitable industry has continued in 
Penetanguishene with fluctuations to the present time, for we 
have our fur dealers still with us. 

Apart from the first descent of the Hurons to Quebec to 
trade, actual barter in furs began in the Huron country very 



88 PIONEER PAPERS 



soon after Champlain s advent, if not co-eval with the Recol- 
let missionaries, certainly during the regime of the Jesuits, as 
we learn that the Indians frequently offered furs in exchange 
for necessary trinkets, and that donnes, traders and courier du 
bois often accompanied the Fathers in their missionary expe 
ditions. Parkman, in his "Jesuits in North America/ page 
364, mentions this fact, and in a note on page 365 says that 
Le Jeune in 1636 wrote a long letter in defence of the barter 
in furs. Traffic in furs at that time was a necessary condi 
tion of mission work. It is also known that French explorers 
and travellers and English adventurers in the fur trade pene 
trated these regions, following Champlain later on, and be 
came familiar with the locality at various dates early in the 
French period. The fur industry, however, advancing apace, 
soon passed beyond mere missionary concern, the Huron 
region proving a prolific source of supply, and furnishing the 
bulk of the fur stream passing over the French River route to 
Quebec, at least till the advent of Jean Nicollet in 1620, who 
was the first secular adventurer in the Georgian Bay regions. 
According to Benjamin Suite, Nicollet was domiciled 
among the Indians on the Ottawa as one of themselves as 
early as 1618, and afterward two years with tribes on the 
borders of Lake Huron. (Wisconsin Historical Records, 1880- 
2, Vol. IX., pages 106-7). Nicollet is said to have spent ten 
years on the Ottawa and among the Nippisings in this way, 
his main object being fur gathering, his latter range appar 
ently confined to the eastern and southern shores of the 
Georgian Bay and its environs. It must be remembered that 
Lake Superior had only been heard of by white men. Sault 
Ste. Marie had not yet been reached and Michillimakinack 
(Mackinaw) was as yet cnly a rumour. The Company of New 
France (the Hundred Associates) was formed May 7th, 1628, 
in Quebec (Canadian Archives, 1885, page XXIX.) This was 
the closing year of Nicollet s sojourn among the Nippisings. 
The next year, 1629, in which Kirkt captured Quebec, Nicol 
let coasted westward, and in the following years reached 
Sault Ste. Marie, Mackinaw, Lake Michigan, Green Bay and 
Wisconsin, then a part of the Canadian west, and the last of 
his fur explorations. French colonists formed the "Beaver 
Company" in 1630, according to John Macoun s History of 
Manitoba, page 429, and pushed the trade north and west. In 
1635 Nicollet was made Fur Factor and Interpreter for the 
"Hundred Associates." 

J. Gilmary Shea (History of Indian Missions, U.S., pages 



PIONEER PAPERS 89 



350-51), says : "In 1656 a flotilla of Ottawas appeared on the 
St. Lawrence led by two adventurous traders who had struck 
into the far west, and in 1660 another flotilla of sixty canoes 
loaded with peltry and manned by three hundred western 
Algonquins led by French voyageurs descended to the trad- 
ing posts of France, doubtless the fruits of rich harvests 
garnered at the numerous posts of Georgian Bay, Lake Huron, 
Sault Ste. Marie, Mackinaw and the west." The annual fur 
fleets of the Hurous, from the fiist, by means of which Cham- 
plain penetrated to this, then savage region, and notably the 
one which brought the Jesuits upon the scene, described by 
Parkman ("Jesuits in North America," page 46), as consisting 
of a hundred and forty canoes with six or seven hundred 
savages, etc.," continued down to the dispersion and testify 
to the extent of the contributions of the Huron country to the 
fur magazines at Quebec. Trading posts continued at Sheb- 
eshekong, Manitoulin and Drummond Island and other points 
on Lake Huron and Georgian Bay down to the latter part of 
the eighteenth century. Matchedash Bay and the Huron 
country, it will be seen, were the nurseries of an embryo 
trade in the west, as well as the pioneer movement in mis 
sionary enterprise and exploration. 

The fur trade utilized the ancient "Toronto Portage," as 
well as the French River route. The venerable native high 
way connecting Lake Ontario and the Georgian Bay was a 
primitive route of a remote period, with picturesque water 
ways, long portages and wild forest scenery. The word "To 
ronto," appropriated by the city of that name, originally Ta- 
ronto, signifies either "The place of meeting/ or "Clumps of 
trees in the water ;" more probably the former- In the Indian 
nomenclature of the old maps Humber Bay in named Taron- 
to Bay; Lake Simcoe is called Taronto Lake ; Severn River, 
Taronto River, and Matchedash Bay, Taronto Bay. Even the 
numerous bodies of water connecting Lake Simcoe with the 
Bay of Quinte were called the "Taronto chain of lakes," the 
term having reference originally, it is thought by competent 
authorities, to a central gathering place among the Huron 
tribes, in tho vicinity of Lake Simcoe, the trails and portages 
leading thereto being known by this common designation. 
Hence in the language of exploration and the fur trade, the 
regions bordering on Matchedash Bay were known as the 
Lake Huron terminus of the Toronto Portage, which began 
at the mouth of the Humber River, following that stream for 
some distance, thence crossing the height of land to the Hol 
land River flowing into Lake Simcoe, traversing both it and 



90 PIONEER PAPERS 



Lake Cpuchiching to their outlet through the Severn River, 
and thus reaching Matchedash Bay. This was the route fol 
lowed by Gov. Simcoe and his suite in their expedition to 
Penetanguishene Bay in 1793 to select a site for a military 
station ; also by Alex. Henry and his Indian captors on their 
way to Niagara in 1764 after the massacre at Mackinaw. The 
first known white man to follow this trail was Etienne Brule, 
Champlain s ill-fated interpreter who left the historic rendez 
vous at the Narrows (Orillia) in 1615 on his way to hasten the 
promised Huron allies from the south in their expedition 
against the Iroquois. Miss K. M. Lizars, in her recent mono 
graph on the Humber River, speaks of Brule as the first white 
man who stood on its shores, on his further progress to Ni 
agara and the countries beyond Lake Ontario. 

At an early date English fur traders from Albany and 
regions south of Lake Ontario used this trail to reach Macki 
naw, but as the Iroquois still dominated Lake Ontario, the 
French could not avail themselves of this route till Fort Cata- 
raquois (at Kingston) was built by Frontenac in 1672, after 
which date we have extracts and copies of letters written by 
La Salle and the missionaries from Sault Ste. Marie in 1673. 
(Canadian Archives, 1885, page XXXV). La Salle built Fort 
Niagara in 1679 and in the following year passed over this 
trail with twenty men on his way to the west. After 1680 
traders from the domain of Col. Dongan, Governor of New 
York, still poached on the French preserves by using this 
trail, rousing the jealousy of the French authorities, especially 
that of Governor Denonville who, in 1686, posted La Duran- 
taye at the Toronto portage "to guard against the passage of 
the English to Mackinaw." Memoirs of an extensive corres 
pondence between Denonville and Dongan on this subject 
may be found in the Canadian Archives for 1885, from page 
XLV. to LIV. From this time onward the Pass remained in 
possession of the French, who built Fort Rouille (Toronto) 
in 1749, to be destroyed by them at the conquest ten years 
later. 

The right to use these carrying places was apparently 
regarded as a valuable franchise. At an early date, and in 
fact as soon as the authorities contemplated opening these 
routes, M. Rochblave applied for the right to transport goods 
over the Trent Portage, which he himself had discovered, 
from Catarauqua to Lake Huron, and three years later he ap 
plied also for the "exclusive privilege of carrying goods 
across the Toronto Portage from Toronto to Lake La Clie 



PIONEER PAPERS 91 



( Lake Simcoe), thirty miles, and giving the rates he proposed 
to charge. The committee of Council decided to get the views 
of the merchants before making the recommendation. (Can 
adian Archives for 1890, p. 212.) Official delay probably 
brought these commercial ventures to nought, as also, at a 
later date, it defeated a proposed extensive seigniorial grant 
of land embracing the present site of the city of Toronto, to 
M. Rochblave and others, which would have been disastrous, 
though the recipient was worthy of reward from the Govern 
ment for past services. M. Rochblave was a brilliant and 
patriotic Frenchman, who, after the conquest, joined his 
fortunes to those of the British. 

The project of the new route originated under Lieut.- 
Gov. Hamilton of Quebec as early as 1785, but lay dormant 
for ten years, only reviving on the opening of Yonge St. to 
Holland Landing as a Military road by Gov. Simcoe in 1795. 
After this the embryo scheme slumbered, till the extension 
of the road from Kempenfeldt Bay to Penetanguishene harb 
or, thereby completing the route from Lake Ontario to Georg 
ian Bay. The Upper Canada Gazette of March 9th, 1799, said: 
"The North-West Company has given 12,000 towards mak 
ing Yonge St. from York (Toronto) to Yonge St. (evidently a 
mistake for Holland Landing) 33 miles only." Up to this 
time little appears to have been accomplished beyond discus 
sing the feasability of various routes by Lake La Clie (Lake 
Simcoe) which, Benj. Frobisher in his letter to Governor 
Hamilton, says, "is 37 miles and will admit of the navigation 
of small vessels," also that the River Severn is navigable for 
large canoes, but not boats, as there are six or seven portages 
which he proposes shall be "levelled in order that the latter 
be got over on rollers," and further as it is a "fine" country, 
the encouragement of settlers would facilitate transportation. 

At this stage traffic began at first by hauling the boats 
over the sand bar between Toronto Harbor and Ashbridge s 
Bay, thence following the Don River as far as the "forks" on 
Yonge St. where they were hauled up by windlass and placed 
on rollers and carried to Holland River. Later they were 
carried on trucks drawn by oxen starting from the foot of 
Yon^e St. Rev. Dr. Scadding ("Toronto of Old/ pp. 425-2$ 
says : Near Gallows Hill on Yonge St. were to be seen form 
erly the remains of a rude windlass or capstan used in haul 
ing up the North-West Coy s boats at this point of the "long 
portage" from Lake Ontario to Lake Huron ; also that he had 
conversed with those who had seen the cavalcade of the 



92 PIONEER PAPERS 



North- West Company s boats mounted on wheels on their 
way up Yonge St. Johnston s Post was established about 
1809 at Holland Landing. Evidently the northern portion of 
this route did not fulfil expectations and its operation was 
brief as the portages on the Severn were not levelled, and 
when Col. McDouall with his 200 men passed up to the relief 
of Mackinaw in 1814, he followed the Nottawasaga trail in 
stead. The way proved exceedingly round-about, the port 
ages difficult and toilsome and settlement did not materialize 
as anticipated. The Coldwater portage of 18 miles was put 
in commission only at a later date and for purposes connect 
ed with the Indian Department, while the agitation for the 
shorter and more direct route continued. Bouchette, Holland s 
assistant, says in 1815, speaking of the extension from Kemp- 
enfeldt Bay, "This route being of much more importance, has 
been greatly improved by the North- West Co. for the double 
purpose of shortening the distance to the upper lakes and 
avoiding any contact with the American frontiers." ("To 
ronto of Old," p. 426). The long delayed and shorter com 
munication having been finally achieved, fur traders as well 
as the Military availed themselves of its conveniences, though 
still somewhat primitive and crude, and directed their traffic 
through this channel via Yonge St. 

After crossing Lake Simcoe they followed the new road 
to its intersection with the Wye River where for a time the 
stream of traffic was diverted down this river and fur supplies 
carried in batteaux through Mud Lake and round by Glou 
cester Bay to its destination. Here at the Wye a temporary 
post or shelter was erected and during its brief existence was, 
it is said, in charge of John McDonald, the noted Nor wester 
and later assistant of Sir John Franklin and grandfather of 
the present Grant family. (A. F. Hunter s "History of Sim 
coe Co." Vol. I , pp. 24-^7). This was the beginning of the 
present Wyebridge and Angus Grant came later. The cross 
ing was lower down than the site of the present bridge 
and though slightly swampy was more in line with the origi 
nal road. The old block-house (of hewn logs) stood for some 
years and was afterwards used as a temporary granary by 
Mr. Elliott, a pioneer who came later with his family. The 
Military road, which followed the line between the townships, 
except where impracticable, veered to the east near what was 
called Firth s Corners, passing near Whalen s clearing and 
through a dense and well-nigh impassable swamp at the head 
of Christendom (Midland) Bay, in order to reach the Garrison 
which was near the mouth of the harbor. Subsequently a 



PIONEER PAPERS 93 



branch of the road was continued on the town line to the 
centre of the present corporation. After the swamp had been 
corduroyed and improved the traffic assumed the entire over 
land route, diverging just before reaching the Garrison to 
the left from the present Wilberforce St. and ordinary Mili 
tary road. It passed in front of the present North ward 
school opening a road for its own special benefit, and reach 
ed the bay front near the "Penetanguishene Summer Hotel" 
and Dyer s cottage above Magazine Island and some distance 
south of the Garrison. This was the origin of the present 
"Broad St.," also known as Lady Colborne St., the pioneer 
street (Rankin s Survey, 1830) a considerable distance south 
of the Wilmot survey of 1812, and was first reserved as a 
street when the site of the Garrison chapel (St. James) and 
Church St. were set apart in 1835. 

The opening of this new trail or by-road was the sequel 
to the building of two fur trading posts, one near the site of 
the Rumble cottage and another between that and the Naval 
Depot (Red store) further down the shore about 1818 or earli 
er. The latter was quite a pretentious structure erected in the 
shape of a cross with main building and transept and in the 
memory of persons still living was used by the Naval author 
ities for several years as a blacksmith s forge. The shore in 
this vicinity being very boggy, this may have led to the erec 
tion of the smaller Depot and the opening of the new trail or 
vice versa for better access. Both these buildings are shown 
in the colored drawing of the Garrison formerly owned by the 
late Dr. Bain of Toronto but of which only traces of the 
foundations remain. We have no records as to who were the 
builders of these depots, very likely built on the authority of 
Angus Shaw or other partners of the North-West Co. as it was 
at their instance the road was first surveyed and improved. 
They were evidently used as supply depots by the Govern 
ment during the war of 1812-15 as shown by the capture of 
the "Nancy" schooner and the incident previously noticed by 
Mr. Gill while engaged on the Nottawasaga portage in 1813. 

It would have been a novel as well as most interesting 
sight could we have witnessed that first cavalcade of boats 
on trucks with their burdens making their way up Yonge St. 
over Lake Simcoe and finally reaching these distant depots. 
In the light of present-day conditions it affords a vivid con 
trast. This method of transportation continued with some 
irregularity till the union of the two fur companies in 1821 
and was seldom employed after that period, although we 
learn from Louis Solomon s Narrative that the famed "Iron 



94 PIONEER PAPERS 



Canoe" of Rebellion noteriety was brought up Yonge St. in 
that way and portaged down the Severn as late as 1832. 

The application of steam to navigation, the amalgama 
tion of the two fur Companies, the opening of the Welland 
Canal in 1829, and the development of other routes, have con 
spired to divert traffic into new channels causing the decline 
of the fur trade at the Penetanguishene post, the desertion of 
the depots, and the gradual reduction to merely local trade. 
Official returns of furs exported from Quebec during the year 
l8ol-2 valued at 371,140 sterling were the product of 1 1/ 
posts of which 104 were west of the Ottawa River. (Canadian 
Archives, 1892, pp. 143-4.) Thus it will be noted these schem 
es were concerned with no small portion of Canada s com 
merce, where large interests were at stake at that time. 

Originally the post had been erected as a Naval station 
and shipyard and fulfilled these functions up till 1828. Sir 
J. Carmichael Smyth, a Royal Engineer, as one of the Com 
missioners in 1825, in a Report to Lord Wellington, recom 
mended the establishment of a Military Post at Penetangui 
shene, Lord Dalhousie the Governor agreeing with the Com 
missioners that such advanced posts as Drummond Island, 
St. Joseph and Ste. Marie are in a military point of view, at a 
risk in case of war. Sir James Kempt, the succeeding Gover 
nor, concurred in the measure, and in his report of the with 
drawal on Nov. 4th, 1828, stated "that the troops with pres 
ents, commissariat stores, etc., had been removed to Pene 
tanguishene where Commodore Barrie afforded them tempor 
ary accommodation, and further stated that Commodore Bar 
rie and Capt. Bayfield think it the best naval situation on the 
lake and in a good military position to defend the rear of 
Upper Canada. He also urged the erection of a small fortified 
barrack ; at all events buildings of some kind became neces 
sary, as the Indians who received their presents at Drummond 
Island had been directed to come to Penetanguishene. (Can 
adian Archives, 1898, pp. 4/2-477-554)- The Toronto Globe, 
June 1st, 1862, has the following : "Last night Col. Coffin de 
livered a lecture in St. Lawrence Hall on the defence of Can 
ada. The audience was in the main composed of city volun 
teers and of the officers of the Sedentary Militia. The at 
tendance was very good. One of the most important points 
for the defence of Canada, Col. Coffin considered, was Pene 
tanguishene. The command of the lakes, he also considered 
necessary." 

In the light of these facts and records especially those 
referring to the "Nancy" episode at the Nottawasaga, the 



PIONEER PAPERS 95 



capture of Mackinaw and the "Scorpion" and the "Tigress" 
and more particularly Gen. Brock s despatch enclosing the 
memorial of Angus Shaw and the other partners referred to 
on page 12 of this work, it is strange to find in Belden s Atlas, 
under"Penetanguishene," the question "Why theBritish should 
ever have established a post at all at this out-of-the-way 
place, and as an answer, adopting the suggestion from 
"Smith s Canada, "That it was probably from being the saf 
est place in the Province to keep out of danger," concluding 
with the very sage remark that "The absurdity of the affair 
seems to have struck the authorities and the establishment 
has been broken up.". The most charitable conclusion is that 
the writer was entirely lacking in historical insight, and did 
not know what he was writing about. Gov. Simcoe who sel 
ected the site was no amateur in Military and Naval affairs 
of that day. Gen. Brock was a Military expert of unquestion 
ed ability, and the British authorities were thoroughly cons 
cious of the situation and knew their business, and we may 
safely leave their vindication to posterity. 

The next survey after that of Wilmot s in l8ll was the 
Naval Survey by W. Chewett in 1829 ; next the survey of the 
village by Chas. Rankin in 1830, also another by the same in 
1833 followed by Richardson s Survey at a later date, about 
1835, an< 3 one by T. Chewett in 1837. In conjunction with 
Chewett s survey of 1837, the classic street names of Peel, 
Chatham, Fox, Pitt, Sheridan, Burke, and of the heroes, Nel 
son, Brock and Wolfe, as well as Oxford and Cambridge, 
bear the stamp of the historical and literary mind, and it is 
well known that Rev. Geo. Hallen, Military Chaplain and 
first Rector of St. James, had the principal share in the nam 
ing of these streets. There were no more surveys till 1852 
when Plan S. 22 was surveyed by Capt. Phillpott. In 1855 
H. P. Savigny surveyed Plan No. 205 the eastern and west 
ern parts of the town plot, also the same Plan Nos. IIO-III in 
1856 and sub-division lot E. in 1857. Pensioners 3 and 5 
acre lots extending on each side of Church St., and 40-acre 
lots beyond the limits of the corporation, also the Military 
Reserves on each side of the harbor, known as the Ordnance 
Lands, were surveyed by John Lindsay in 1851-2, 1858-60 and 
63. The Reformatory Prison Farm, Plan No. 2, was surveyed 
by John Lindsay in 1858. The Penetanguishene Park Lots, 
Plan No. 21, west of Main St., between Roberts and Poyntz 
Sts., were surveyed by E. T. Fletcher in 1878, The latest 
survey was in 1879 by John Strathern. Capt. Phillpott was 
one of the Royal Engineers and was a candidate for the office 



96 PIONEER PAPERS 



of Surveyor General of Canada during the regime of Sir 
Francis Bond Head. Mr. Richardson was a resident of Pene- 
tanguishene for some years, about 1825-40, and afterwards 
was^Treasurer of Simcoe County, in the occupation of which 
office he died. 

CHAPTER XL 
SOME HISTORIC FAMILIES. 

ADDITIONAL PARTICULARS OF THE HAMILTON 

FAMILY. 

A CORRECTION. In a previous chapter we stated that 
Capt. James Matthew Hamilton, the first postmaster of Pene- 
tanguishene, was married at Mackinaw by Surgeon David 
Mitchell, his father-in-law, who read the ceremony from the 
Church of England prayer book, he being a Justice of the 
Peace, as there were no clergymen in that region in those 
days. We gathered these facts from the diary of the late 
Capt. T. G, Anderson published by the Wisconsin Historical 
Society, and which statement has been copied by numerous 
writers- Miss Charlotte Frances Hamilton Rowe of Orillia, 
a grand daughter of Capt. Hamilton, has kindly furnished us 
with some additional particulars and a copy of the following 
document transcribed Oct. I9th, 1875, from a Book of Records 
at Mackinac bearing dates from 1785 to i860, viz. : "Michili- 
mackinac, I5th Nov., 1791. This day was married by Ed 
ward Charleton, Esquire, Captain in the 5th Regiment of His 
Majesty, and Commandant of the Post of Michilimackinac 
and Dependencies, before the undersigned Notary and in the 
presence of the subscribing witnesses, Jas. Matthew Hamilton, 
Ensign in the said Regiment, to Miss Louise Mitchell, daught 
er of David Mitchell, Esq., by his lawful wife." 

Witness : J. M. Hamilton, 

Benjamin Rocher, Ensign 5th Regiment of Foot. 

Lieut. 5th Foot. Louise Mitchell, now Hamilton. 

Witness : Edwd. Charleton, 

W. Glendower, Captain 5th Regiment, 

Ensign 5th Foot. Commanding Michilimackinac. 

D. Mitchell, Surgeon. Etc., Etc. 

Capt. Hamilton was the second son of a large family 
whose mother was Miss Christine Baillie of County Down, 
Ireland, whose brother, Colonel Baillie, was killed at Mysore 
in the war with Hyder Ali. The famous "Baillie Guard" at 
Lucknow was named in his honor. Capt. Usher who married 



PIONEER PAPERS 97 



Miss Street, aunt to Mrs. Dr. Fuller, first Bishop of Niagara, 
was a cousin of Capt. Hamilton. They had one son, Edge- 
worth, who was assassinated by Lott on the Niagara frontier 
during the Rebellion of 1837, and three daughters, one of 
whom married an Usher, a cousin, in Ireland. Another mar 
ried George Mitchell, and the third married the late Commis 
sary Thompson of Penetanguishene, whose youngest daught 
er is the wife of the Anglican Archbishop of Ottawa. Capt. 
Usher who was assassinated was an uncle by marriage of 
the late H. H. Thompson, and at the time of his death had 
two children a son and daughter. A posthumous daughter 
was born, who was named Edgeworth after her dead father. 
His son John married a Miss Staunton and is living in To 
ronto. Edgeworth, a son of the late H. H. Thompson, and 
brother of Mrs. W. H. Hewson, who will be remembered by 
many as having passed away a few years before his father, 
in the prime of life, was also named after his uncle. 

Capt. Usher s residence was on the bank of the Niagara 
River above Chippewa. One night three men came to the 
door, one of whom rapped for admittance. Capt. Usher re 
turned down the stairs, setting the candle which he carried 
in his hand on the last step, and as he opened the door, one 
of the men, who was named Lott and who had a rifle, shot 
him through the heart. It was an unprovoked murder of an 
innocent and much respected citizen by a political fanatic. 
The perpetrator was never punished for the crime being a 
resident of the neighboring republic. This same man Lott 
was the supposed author of another dastardly outrage, later, 
in the wrecking of the original Brock s monument at Queens- 
ton Heights in 1846. 

During the period of the Rebellion, and about the time 
of the assassination of Capt. Usher, the late Col. W. A. 
Thompson of Penetanguishene was in charge of a company 
of Canadian Volunteers erecting breast-works on the bank 
of the Niagara River opposite Navy Island where the Rebels 
were located, when a red-hot cannon ball came from the rebel 
camp and struck the log on which the soldier was standing, 
directly in the notch which he was at that moment cutting 
with his axe. The house occupied as the headquarters of 
the staff was protected by fence-rails standing on end round 
the house, and one day during dinner a red-hot ball struck 
the railing. A soldier gathered up the ball and brought it in 
as dessert for the officers dinner. These incidents, with oth 
ers, were personally related to the writer. 



98 PIONEER PAPERS 



ADJUTANT KEATING AND HIS FAMILY. 

Among the officers coming with the Drummond Island 
contingent in 1828, was Adjutant Keating, Commander of the 
Military Station, and a prominent and highly respected figure 
at the garrison and in Penetanguishene for over twenty years. 
Adjutant James Keating was born at Templeshort, County 
Wexford, Ireland, in 1786. At the age of 18 he joined the 
Royal Regiment of Artillery and received a medal for his 
services at Martinique. In 1814 he commanded a volunteer 
battery at the capture of Fort McKay, known as Prairie du 
Chien, and for distinguished services was promoted to a 
Lieutenancy and made Fort Adjutant at the Post of St. Jos 
eph, then at Amherstburg, then at Drummond Island until it 
was surrendered to the Americans, then finally was promoted 
to the rank of Captain and appointed Fort Adjutant in charge 
of the garrison at Penetanguishene, where he died in 1849 
aged 63 years. During the bombardment of Prairie du Chien 
the Company ran out of cannon balls and Adjutant Keating, 
to supply the deficiency, improvised moulds formed of two 
bricks and cast three-pound leaden balls. Adjutant Keating 
is credited in the Army List of July, 1851, as having received 
a silver medal embracing 1793 to 1814 with clasp for Martin 
ique, which are among the very few that include the clasps 
for Detroit and Chrystler s Farm. Mr. Keating always took a 
very active and interested part in the public affairs of the 
town and garrison, and was foremost in many enterprises 
connected with the welfare of the community. His official 
residence was the quaint old structure long known afterwards 
as the Chaplain s residence for the Ontario Reformatory for 
Boys, which he did much to renovate and make an ideal 
dwelling for his family, under the false impression that it 
would ultimately be a gift from the Crown and revert to his 
heirs. But in this he was disappointed, as officialdom is dif 
ficult to move and puzzling to comprehend. The family mov 
ed to Chatham, Ont., in 1856. The old bungalow, which 
would have made a fine show-place as a relic of garrison 
days, was accidentally burned in 1913, much to the regret of 
admirers of historic remains. Dr. Henry Keating of Montre 
al, a grandson of Adjutant Keating, visited the old home 
stead a few years since and identified the room in which his 
father, the late James Keating of Oil City, Ont, was born. A 
publication of the Military Institute, dated 1908, contains an 
account of the Officers of the War of 1812-15, in which is a 
copy of general orders issued for June 20th, 1815, by General 



PIONEER PAPERS 99 



Drummond complimenting Lieut. Keating for bravery at the 
capture of Fort Shelby and as a reward promoting him to the 
rank of Fort Adjutant at St. Joseph from the 25th of June in 
clusive. (British Officers in Canada, p. 255). Mr. Keating s 
family consisted of three sons James and John of Oil City, 
Ont., and Thomas of Chatham, Ont., and three daughters- 
Mary Jane, wife of the late Col. W. A. Thompson ; Miss 
Charlotte of Oil City, and Lenora, wife of Dr. Hodgins who 
went to Honolulu. Of James Keating s children, a daughter 
is the wife of Dr. Wallbridge, Midland ; one son, Henry, is a 
doctor in Montreal ; another, Bertrand, deceased, was a prac 
ticing physician in Denver, Col. One daughter, Clara, mar 
ried Rev. G. J. Abey of Dresden ; another, Lenora, is the wife 
of Mr. Jermaine of Wyoming ; Mrs. Grant is in California, 
and Miss Minnie died at Wyoming unmarried. Adjutant 
Keating s remains rest in old St. James Cemetery, close by 
the venerable edifice ; he was one of the many over whom 
Rev. Geo. Hallen performed the last sad rites, and whose 
burial is duly recorded in the old Register by the same hand. 

THE COLUMBUS FAMILY. 

Louis Columbus, or Colombe, "armorer" for the military 
at the garrison, was born in Toronto in 1810 and came here 
about 1829. His father was Isaac Columbus, mentioned in 
Dr. Scadding s "Toronto of Old," p. 182, who was born in 
France and emigrated in 1790 to Quebec, where he was arm 
orer to the military and where also he was married. He was 
of French and Italian parentage, his paternal ancestors hav 
ing been born in Genoa, whence they migrated to France in 
the fifteenth century. The family has been generally regard 
ed as direct lineal descendants of the famous navigator, 
Christopher Columbus, the discoverer of America ; but while 
there is a strong probability amounting almost to a certainty, 
they themselves do not make the claim. The late Francis 
Columbus, eldest son of Louis, who had given some attention 
to this matter, said that one of their paternal ancestors had 
migrated to Morocco in the previous century and the records 
failed to show from which branch the families had descend 
ed. Isaac later moved from Quebec to Toronto and began 
the trade of private armorer and locksmith, and in Toronto 
his children were born. He spent his declining years in 
Markham at the home of a German U. E. Loyalist family 
named Springer near German Mills, (Mr. Springer s daughter 
subsequently married his grandson, Francis Columbus), where 



ioo PIONEER PAPERS 



he died in 1846 at the venerable age of 105 years, having be 
come totally blind. 

His daughter, Harriet, elder sister of Louis, became Mrs. 
Robinson and settled in Toledo, Ohio, dying in 1895 in her 
8lst year. The World s Fair Commission at Chicago, 1893, 
made herculean efforts to induce Mrs. Robinson to attend the 
World s Fair (called the Columbian Exposition although be 
lated by a whole year), as a descendant of the famous navig 
ator and as a sort of companion piece to the ancient shallops 
in which the great navigator crossed the then unknown seas, 
but she steadfastly refused, notwithstanding the well-nigh 
fabulous sums offered her as expenses, salary and entertain 
ment fees. 

Louis Columbus was armorer for the military here until 
the close of the garrison and had a family of twelve sons and 
daughters, dying in 1882 in his 73rd year. Mrs. W. M. Thomp 
son is the possessor of a gigantic key made by Mr. Columbus 
for a monster lock on the barracks gate. The lock unfortun 
ately was lost when the barracks were partially burned ; but 
the family retains as a cherished heir-loom the lock and key 
he originally manufactured for the old family residence 
which was built on Water Street by James Warren and M. 
Champaigne, carpenter. Louis Columbus had the honor of 
being presented to the Prince of Wales, the late King Edward 
VII,, on his visit to Barrie in i860. 

Mrs. L. Columbus, whose maiden name was Sarah 
Maines, was of Irish extraction, born in Rossnally, Queen s 
County, Ireland, in 1817, coming to Canada when only two 
years old and settling in Toronto, where she was married to 
Mr. Columbus. She was only fifteen years old when her first 
child, the late F. Columbus, was born, and joined her husband 
who was boarding with Mr. Bell at the garrison in 1832 short 
ly after the barracks were built and when Mr. Bell was first 
Barrack Master. She came to Holland Landing by stage, 
crossed Lake Simcoe in a schooner commanded by EliBeem- 
an, father of our well-known townsman, and was wind- 
bound for two days near Roache s Point where she took 
dinner with the Smith family with whose children she had 
gone to school in Toronto and one of whom afterwards 
became Sheriff Smith of Barrie. They landed at the 
Narrows (Orillia), then consisting of only two log houses, 
and drove across the Portage 16 miles to Coldwater in a wag 
on with ox team, taking all day, the road being very rough. 
When she came to the bad places she got out and walked, 
carrying her baby only six months old. The young man who 



PIONEER PAPERS 101 



drove her over died of cholera a few days afterward, Her 
brother Louis Maines came with her and was afterward Harb 
or Master at Penetanguishene and was succeeded by the late 
Francis Dusome. They came from Cold water to the garrison 
in batteaux. She became the mother of twelve children- 
eight sons and four daughters, viz. : Frank, who died in 
Penetanguishene in IQ07; Christopher, named after the great 
navigator, died in Illinois June 5th, 1899 ; William, Toronto ; 
Louis, Elmvale ; Henry, died in Penetanguishene ; Edward, 
Minnesota ; Joseph, Toronto ; Napoleon, Midland ; Sarah and 
Maria both died in Penetanguishene ; Agnes and Anna are 
still at home. There were fifty-one grand children, forty- 
four great-grandchildren and two great-great grandchildren. 
Mrs. Columbus died in 1910 in her 94th year. 

The late Frank Columbus, eldest son of Louis Columbus 
and Sarah Maines, was born at Toronto in 1832 and came to 
Penetanguishene with his mother the same year. He went 
to Markham at the age of 16 years spending 14 years there 
and at London, thence returning to Penetanguishene where 
he remained till his death. He married a Miss Springer, 
daughter of a German U.E. Loyalist of the Berczy settlement 
at German Mills, where his grandfather, Isaac Columbus, had 
previously found a home. He was for some years commo 
dore and manager of Andrew Mitchell s fishing fleet, the 
"Minnie Mitchell," "Pearl Mitchell," and "Mermaid which 
sailed to the "Ducks," engaged in the fisheries and had con 
tracts from the government for building the scaffolding for 
the Ontario Reformatory for Boys in 1858, or subsequent 
years, and did the quarrying under Thomas Wiley, the con 
tractor. He was later Collector of Taxes for the municipal 
ity. Christopher Columbus, the well-known Lighthouse 
Keeper of Whiskey Island, is a son. 

Of the other children of Louis Columbus, Henry chose 
mercantile life and will be recalled by many as being 
so long with the late A. A. Thompson. Sarah, the eldest 
daughter, was the wife of the late Wm. Rorke who for many 
years was connected with the staff of the Ontario Reforma 
tory, dying just previous to its close. 

The late Frank Columbus knew Dr. Tache, who was In 
spector of Government Works, and also remembered dis 
tinctly Capts. Attrill, Harper and Boxer of the steamers Ex 
periment, Mohawk and Minos and that the famous Townsend 
was one of the crew of the Steamer "Minos" at one time here. 
He further stated that his father, Louis Columbus, Jas. Stew 
art Darling, Gustave Hamilton, O. Cadieux, A. Dusome, D. 



102 PIONEER PAPERS 



Lavallee and others walked all the way from here to Toronto 
to offer their services during the Rebellion of 1837, 

A VETERAN OF QUEENSTON HEIGHTS. 

Amongst those who cast in their lot with the earliest 
settlers in the new town of the "Rolling Sands" was Alfred 
A. Thompson who came here in 1830 at the age of 17 years, 
and engaged as clerk with Andrew Mitchell, Sr., in general 
mercantile business in connection with the fur trade. He 
was born in 1813 at Newark (Niagara-on-the-Lake), later 
moving with the family to Oakville and Toronto. 

His father was Col. Wm. Thompson, born in New Bruns 
wick of U.E. Loyalist parentage soon after the close of the 
Revolution whence he came to the Niagara District in 1808, 
being then 23 years old. He served in the York Militia 
throughout the war of 1812. His (Col. Chisholm s) Company 
already on the brow of the hill at Queenston Heights, he was 
among those who heard the memorable order which fell from 
the lips of the lamented Gen. Brock, "Push on, the brave 
York Volunteers," just as he mounted the Heights where the 
fatal bullet did its work. He received the rank of Lt.-Col. 
of the 3rd Regt. of West York Militia on the l6th Aug., 1826, 
and was promoted to the rank of Colonel on 1 9th Mar., 1831. 
He was elected to Parliament in 1825 as member for the 2nd 
District of West York. On his promotion to the colonelcy, 
he was presented by his Regiment with a valuable sword, 
now in the possession of his grand-daughter, Mrs. W. H. Hew- 
son, wife of Town Clerk Hewson, on which is neatly engrav 
ed the following elaborate inscription : "Presented to Col. 
Wm. Thompson by the Officers and Men of the 3rd Regi 
ment of West York Militia, as a mark of Respect and Esteem 
to him as Commanding Officer. The sword (an artistically 
decorated one), was manufactured by the noted firm of Hunt 
& Roskell of New Bond St., London, Goldsmiths to the Royal 
Family. It has had quite an eventful career; in addition to 
its military history, having been wrecked in transit from the 
old land and fished up from the waters of the St. Lawrence. 
The sword passed as an heir-loom to his son, the late H. H. 
Thompson, Esq. The writer has in his possession also, a 
complete set of "Burns Justice," 4 volumes, handsomely 
bound in calf, London Edition, issued in 1776, once the prop 
erty of Col. Wm. Thompson, with his autograph inscribed in 
the 1st and 3rd volumes. We have the testimony of the late 
Col. Robert Denison of Toronto that Col. Thompson was the 




COL. WM. THOMPSON 

(178.5-1800) 
Bv COURTESY OF MRS. (D R .) P. . SPOI|N , 



HIS C.KAXm>Ar<;i[TKR 



PIONEER PAPERS 103 



friend of industrial enterprises besides his military career. 

Col. Thompson died in i860, aged 75 years, leaving a 
family of nine children six sons and three daughters, of 
whom Col. Wm. A. was the eldest son, Alfred A. the second, 
and Henry H. the fifth, all of Penetanguishene, and all dead, 
and Oliver of Atherley, the youngest, still living at an ad 
vanced age. The other sons were James G. and Frederick 
Thompson. The daughters, Eliza, Cornelia, and Ellen, be 
came respectively Mrs. Campbell and Mrs. Patterson of To 
ronto and Mrs. Sullivan of Montreal. Mr. Patterson, the emi 
nent K.C. of Toronto, is a grandson. 

Alfred A., the second son, became successful in business 
circles and was prominent in public affairs of the town for 
many years. After spending an apprenticeship with Andrew 
Mitchell, Sr., for some years, when the original Mitchell store 
occupied the corner on Water St. opposite McGibbon s Mill, 
then the centre of the town, he started an adventure on his 
own account, building the pioneer brick store on Main St. on 
the corner now occupied by the "Green Block," part of which 
is the original store, where he carried on for many years an 
extensive general mercantile business, ultimately acquiring 
the extensive fur trade operated by Mr. Mitchell his former 
employer, and attracting annual buyers from Montreal, New 
York, London, Berlin and even far-off Australia. The year s 
accumulations of furs were generally offered in bulk and sold 
by tender to the highest bidder and as late as 1881 the pro 
ceeds of Alfred Thompson s fur sales totalled from $12,000 
to $20,000. 

Those were the days of the Dukis, Chiefs of Nipissing, 
when they made their annual excursions to Penetanguishene, 
with their fleet of gaily decorated war canoes loaded with 
furs and returning with the yearly supplies. They camped 
with their families and appurtenances at the foot of Main St. 
on a small three-cornered lot purchased and owned by them 
selves, where now stands part of the Gidley boat factory. 
Having exchanged their savage for civilized costume they 
prepared for a season of gaiety in town, making friendly 
calls and visits and being visited in turn by Mr. A. A. Thomp 
son and other fur dealers. Those annual gatherings and fur 
sales were gala days and for years were looked forward to 
as leading events in the social whirl of the strange mixture 
of military, naval and civilian circles. 

We are reminded there was as yet no regular public 
highway, only a rude primitive trail, in 1832, between the gar 
rison and the embryo town. About this time A. A. Thomp- 



104 PIONEER PAPERS 



son was awarded the contract for cutting away the bush, 
clearing the road and building the log houses for the soldiers, 
the street becoming known as the "Lines" through its occu 
pation by the Military, and later as Church St. The first 
houses were built along Broad St. (Lady Colborne St.) lead 
ing to the bay, being the general highway of traffic towards 
the old fur post which, at one time, stood near the foot of 
that street. The building of these soldiers homes was car 
ried out under the immediate auspices of Sir John Colborne, 
Governor of Upper Canada in 1832, by direction of the British 
authorities. A plot of five acres with a comfortable log 
house was allocated to each soldier who chose to accept the 
actual value of his commuted pension and become submerged 
as a civilian. It formed part of the larger scheme in which 
forest homesteads were allotted to retired officers and men 
in the Township of Oro on Lake Simcoe and elsewhere in 
Canada. The movement was a well-intentioned, philanthrop 
ic and patriotic but futile one, ultimately proving a failure 
for many obvious reasons. At one period over forty cottages 
lined Church St. on each side from Broad St. near the gar 
rison grounds down to Teuton s corner on Yeo St. A few, 
here and there, are still standing and occupied, but most of 
them have disappeared as have all the builders. Penetangui- 
ghene and Thompson s fur store became noted as the only 
market and centre where farmers for miles around could get 
sale for their produce (butter, eggs and vegetables, etc.) for 
cash to pay their taxes. For several years Mr. Thompson s 
private residence was a small frame building near his store 
on Water St., familiar to older residents, till he built the brick 
residence on the opposite side of the same street, now the 
residence of Dr. Howard Spohn, his grandson. Alfred 
Thompson in 1857 married Sarah Ann, daughter of Sergeant 
Dayid Burke, Quartermaster of the 37th Regt. of Foot, and of 
this union were born three sons and two daughters William 
M., merchant, proprietor of the Green Block ; Alfred B., bar 
rister, and M.P.P. for Centre Simcoe, who was also Treasurer 
for the town and Collector of Customs for some years ; Mrs. 
(Dr.) P. H. Spohn, Mrs. Fahey, and Charles of the Crown Life 
Co., all of this town. Mr. Thompson was an Anglican in re 
ligion and was always actively interested in the affairs of 
old St. James Church, having occupied the office of People s 
Warden on several occasions. He was also chosen the first 
Mayor on the incorporation of Penetanguishene as a town in 
1881. His death occurred on 28th April, 1885, aged 72 years. 
Lieut.-Col. William A., eldest son of Col. William Thomp- 



PIONEER PAPERS 105 



son, was born at Niagara in 1811 and enlisted at an 6arly age 
in the militia under his father and was stationed at Fort 
George during the troubles of 1837, and later ordered to To 
ronto. His stirring experiences in command of the Niagara 
District during which his uncle Capt. Edgeworth Usher was 
assassinated have already been related. Capt. Usher s wife 
was a Miss Street. Lieut.-Col. Thompson was subsequently 
stationed at Penetanguishene, where he married, for his first 
wife, Mary Jane Keating, daughter of Adjutant Keating, in 
1844, she dying three years later. The late James Thompson 
was a son, and Mrs. Thos. Hornsby is a grand-daughter. Col. 
Thompson settled on a farm atOakville, where he married as 
his second wife a Miss Hewson, later removing to Penetang 
uishene. He will be remembered while here as having built 
the Steamer "Mabel." Mr. W. F. H. Thompson, merchant, 
now of Nottingham, England, who built the Arcade, i-s a son 
by the second marriage. Col. Thompson spent his later years 
in Toronto, dying at the venerable age of 88 years. 

Henry H., fifth son of Col. William Thompson, was born 
in Oakville and came here in 1847 and engaged with his 
brother Alfred in general mercantile business and the fur 
trade, later branching out for himself and building a large 
store on Main St. corner opposite the Standard Bank now oc 
cupied by the Beck Block. He had an extensive fur trade 
and general business lor years and subsequently sold out, em 
barking in a financial agency and private banking business 
which he continued for several years. He took an active in 
terest in public affairs, was chosen Mayor of the town in suc 
cession to his brother Alfred, contested East Simcoe for the 
Legislature in 1883 in the Conservative interests and was 
town treasurer and Agent for the Indian Department for sev 
eral years. In 1858 he built the old log parsonage for St. 
James which stood on the present site of V. Martin s resid 
ence, Fox St. J. B. Sylvester was his assistant in the con 
tract. In 1856 he married Louisa Elizabeth, daughter of 
Andrew Mitchell, Sr., who pre-deceased him some years. 
Mrs. W. J. Keating, Fort Frances, Mrs. Molesworth, Midland, 
and Mrs. W. H. Hewson, Penetanguishene, are daughters. 
A son named Edgeworth in memory of his assassinated uncle, 
an estimable young man, died some years ago, just verging 
into manhood. Mr. Thompson died in 1907 in his, 84th year. 



io6 PIONEER PAPERS 



CHAPTER XII. 

COMMANDERS OF THE "FLEET." 

The transfer of the naval forces from Drummond Island 
to Penetanguishene in 1828 constituted the latter place both 
a naval and military station requiring the appointment of an 
additional officer, that of naval commandant. Capt. John 
Moberly, R.N., was appointed to the post of naval command 
er with the rank of Admiral in 1834, i n control of all opera 
tions appertaining to the navy, just as Fort Adjutant Keating 
was general commandant of the post and military operations. 
We have before us a letter from the Admiralty, London, dat 
ed January, 1913, and it is rather singular, notwithstanding 
Capt. Moberly s appointment to the post, the letter states that 
"Penetanguishene in 1835 had an establishment of 40 rank 
and file known as a batteaux establishment for the convey 
ance of provisions, military stores, etc.," and this in view of 
the facts that a general sale of craft and naval and marine 
appliances was ordered in 1832 and continued for some time, 
also that gun-boats and large steamers were in commission 
here and commanders appointed as late as 1852, as will be 
noted later on. The Admiralty s ideas of the functions of 
the "Establishment" are all right, but their conceptions of 
"Batteaux" seem peculiar, to say the least. 

A letter from the War Office of about the same date states, 
regarding our enquiry as to regiments and their commanders 
stationed here from time to time, that "it is regretted there is 
no list now in existence." Possibly in my enquiry, I had used 
"regiment" for "detachment, as there were obviously no 
regiments stationed here entire, only detachments. Hence I 
am able only partially to supply the needed information, 
which I was able to glean from other sources. 

Capt. Moberly was born in St. Petersburg (Petrograd), of 
English parentage, in 1789, and entered the navy in 1801 
when only in his I2th year and became post Captain in 1815, 
serving on a number of ships. He saw much active service, 
and in 1811 was moved to the "Little Belt, Capt. Arthur Batt 
Bingham, Commandant, and served as senior officer, in the 
furious, well-fought and memorable action with the American 
44-gun frigate "President," one of the causes which led to the 
war of 1812-15. Capt. Moberly married in 1825 Miss Mary 
Fock, daughter of General Fock of the Russian Imperial 
Service. She was born in Sebastopol, Crimea, where her 




CAPT. JOHN MOBERLY. R.N. (1811) 
(1789-1848) 

FROM A COPY OF A MINIATURE MADE EARLY IN LIFE 

BY COURTESY OF ms SON, CAPT. FRANK MOBERLY, BARRIE 



PIONEER PAPERS io; 



father was then stationed. General Fock, her father, who 
was a member of a Polish family of distinction, had com 
mand of the Russian Imperial Artillery at the famous battle 
of Borodino in Russia which gave Napoleon entrance to 
Moscow in 1814. Of this union were born nine children- 
six sons and three daughters, viz. : 

Mary, born at Sowerby, Yorkshire, 1829 ; married in 1850 
Sir Harford Jones-Brydges, Radnorshire, Wales ; still living. 
Lady Brydgeshas contributed very liberally to the embellish 
ment and up-keep of old St. James Church and the little 
military cemetery on the hillside in the former precincts of 
the garrison. 

George, born at Sowerby, Yorkshire, 1830, barrister and 
retired Major of Volunteers, residence, Collingwood; married 
Fanny Maria, third daughter of the late Col. E. G. O Brien, 
Shanty Bay, Co. of Simcoe. 

Walter, born at Steeple Ashton, Oxfordshire, 1832, Civil 
Engineer. He made the famous trip round Cape Horn arriv 
ing at Victoria, B.C., in 1858, took a prominent part in the 
early development of British Columbia, discovering and nam 
ing "Eagle Pass" and several other important passes in the 
Rocky Mountains, and engaged in the construction of various 
works- He and his three brothers George, Clarence and 
Harvey received their first tuition at the garrison, under an 
old soldier with one leg, known as Bugler Smith, father of 
the late Andrew Smith. He will be remembered by some as 
being hauled to and from his home to the Barracks on a hand 
sled or a small dog cart. Walter Moberly attended the Barrie 
Grammar School under Frederick Gore, the Headmaster, who 
was a noted mathematician, after which he took service with 
Fred. W. Cumberland, receiving a valuable engineering ex 
perience in the early days of the old Northern Railway. He 
surveyed the site for New Westminster, B.C., under Col. Moody 
and helped to build the Carriboo Trail, and was afterwards 
elected member for West Carriboo in the Legislature. He 
was employed in various projects under Governor Douglas, 
and under Sir Sandford Fleming surveyed the C.P.R. trans 
continental route through the Rockies. He was largely identi 
fied with many of the pioneer enterprises throughout British 
Columbia. He resided for some time in Winnipeg, but latter 
ly returned to Vancouver where he died in IQI5- He was 
honored as one of British Columbia s most energetic and 
progressive pioneers. Prior to leaving for the West in 1858 
he was Lieutenant 1st York Light Cavalry. A fine apprecia- 



io8 PIONEER PAPERS 



tion of his career, by Dr. W. W. Walkem, appeared in the 
Vancouver "Province" of May I4th, 1915. 

Harvey John, born at Penetanguishene (township of Tay 
at that time) 1835. A record of his baptism by Rev. George 
Hallen appears in old St. George s Register. He entered the 
Hudson Bay Co. s service in 1854 and in 1862 was in charge 
of the post on Stuart Lake ; gave his name to Moberly Lake 
in the Peace River country, retired after nearly 40 years 
service, and is now settled in Saskatchewan. 

Clarence Wishaw, born at Penetanguishene, 1838. His 
was the first baptism in St. James Church. He was baptised 
by Rev. Frederick O Meara, missionary, afterwards recorded 
by Rev. Geo. Hallen. Clarence became a Civil Engineer and 
was for many years Chief Engineer of the Northern Railway, 
Toronto to Barrie, now the G.T.R. He was also a retired 
Capt. in the 10th Royals, and died in Collingwood in 1902. 

Arthur, born at Penetanguishene, 1840, became a doctor 
and married Caroline Jean, daughter of J. O. Bouchier of Sut- 
ton, Georgina, and died in 1879. 

Sophia, born at Penetanguishene, 1843, died in infancy. 

Frank, born at Barrie in 1845, Civil Engineer. In 1871 he 
had charge of the government survey from Winnipeg to the 
Kootenay Plains, at the head waters of the Athabaska in the 
Rocky Mountains and engaged in a number of transcontin 
ental railway and exploration surveys both in Canada and 
the United States, from Newfoundland to Vancouver Island 
and in the States to California. He is now connected with the 
Public Works Department, and is President of the Co. Simcoe 
Home Guard Rifle Association, Justice of the Peace for 
Thunder Bay District, the Co. of Simcoe, and at various times 
Magistrate for the Province of Manitoba, British Columbia, 
Northwest Territories and Quebec, Commissioner of Domin 
ion Police for Ontario and (under Public Works Act) Police 
Magistrate for Nipissing District. 

Emma, bora at Barrie, 1847, unmarried, and living with 
her sister Lady Brydges, Radnorshire, Wales. 

Mrs. Capt. Moberly died in 1879. In 1837 Capt. Moberly 
was offered a commission as Colonel in a regiment of which 
John McWatt of Barrie was afterwards Colonel ; but as he 
was a sailor and not a soldier he relegated the honor to one 
of his sons, and among the officers later on were W. B. Ham 
ilton, A. A. Thompson, Benj. Ross of Innisfil, father of the 
late Charles Ross of Barrie, and Capt. Walker. This was the 



PIONEER PAPERS 109 



germ of the 35th Regt., Simcoe. Capt. Moberly was appoint 
ed License Inspector for Simcoe in 1843 and on moving to 
Barrie in 1844 was appointed Agent for the Bank of Upper 
Canada, opening the first branch bank in the County of Sim 
coe. He died in 1848 at Barrie at the comparatively early 
age of 59 years and his remains are deposited in St. James 
church-yard, and beside him the remains of a great grand 
child, the infant son of Dr. Raikes and his wife, the late Mrs. 
Raikes of Midland. 

Old St. James may justly be called the "child of his af 
fection," as it was principally through his efforts the church 
was built, and by his immediate descendants still largely 
maintained. Before us is a copy of a letter dated Toronto, 
Sept. l8th, 1835, from Sir Richard Bonnycastle, Royal Engin 
eers, setting apart by direction of Sir John Colborne, a church 
site and burying ground for the Military, and certified by 
Adjutant Keating, Commandant of the Post, through whom 
the grant was procured. Through Capt. Moberly s exertions 
the late Rev. Geo. Hallen, then in Medonte, was induced to 
come here and assume the duties of Chaplain to the forces 
and the inauguration of necessary steps toward the develop 
ment of a parish. The "Church Evangelist" in referring some 
time ago to Rev. Mr. Hallen and the History of the Parish, 
said, After several years of disappointing toil, Capt. Mober 
ly, R.N., then in command of the Naval Station at Penetang- 
uishene, found him out and almost compelled him (Rev. Mr. 
Hallen) to remove to the Garrison." The church grounds 
were cleared and the erection began in 1836 and was com 
pleted in the early part of 1838, but not dedicated till 1840. 
An extract from a letter of the late Edgar Hallen dated Oct., 
1898, says, "Capt. Moberly was the founder of St. James 
Church and superintended the building and finishing of it." 
A quaint tablet, the first erected, may still be seen in old St. 
James which reads as follows : "To the memory of Lieut. 
Glascott, late of H. M. 66th Regt., who died Jan. 23rd, 1837, 
frozen to death on his return from the village after a night of 
festivity." The tablet was made and erected by Capt. Mob 
erly, R.N., who left the end vacant for the benefit of the next 
subaltern, who might meet a like fate. 

The Moberly residence was a commodious log structure 
on the slope of the hill just above the naval depot (old red 
store) belonging to the Hospital group of buildings which 
was burned some years ago and in which an ill-fated soldier 
lost his life. It was the usual residence of the naval com- 



no PIONEER PAPERS 



manders and was subsequently occupied, among others, by 
Commander Fred. C. Herbert of the "Mohawk" and where he 
kept the chained eagle and the bear. The house is rememb 
ered from its peculiar roof which extended back to the slope 
of the hill. 

The Moberly family will thus be recalled as having 
played a most important part in the pioneer development of 
the old garrison town, and had a considerable share in con 
tinental-wide projects as well. The next commanders in suc 
cession were Lieuts. Hatch, Boxer and Harper respectively, 
the former of the Steamer "Minos," side-wheeler, 2 guns and 
complement of 3 men ; Major Hatch of Hamilton is a son. 
The latter two alternating with the "Experiment," side-wheel 
er, I gun, 12-pounder, and 3 men, up to 1847. The next was 
Lieut. Frederick Charles Herbert of the Steamer Mohawk," 
side-wheeler, 100 tons, 2 guns, 24-pounders, from 1848 to 1852. 
Lieut. Herbert was born in 1819, entered the Royal Naval 
College in 1831, rose to midshipman in 1839, was appointed 
Lieutenant in 1844 an d received the rank of Commander in 
1856. He died in 1868. He was succeeded in command of 
the "Mohawk" by Lieut. Tysson in 1852. The Steamer "Ex 
periment was built at Niagara by Capt. Dick in 1835. A 
correspondent in the Christian Guardian in 1838 says the 
little British Steamer "Experiment with three guns was at 
Prescott in Nov. of that year and fought off the gun-boat 
"United States with two schooners in tow loaded with 800 
or 900 men, and three times drove them back to Ogdensburg 
with much loss. The rebels succeeded in landing about 300 
men two miles below Prescott, which the Johnstown Militia, 
aided by forty regulars of the 83rd Regiment, drove into the 
Windmill, taking 29 prisoners and two cannon. The fate of 
the Windmill prisoners has becme familiar history. The 83rd 
Regt. was later stationed at Penetanguishene. That referred, 
doubtless, to the same British steamer stationed here in 1844- 
47, armed with 12-pounders, and small arms rifles, pistols, 
cutlasses and boarding pikes. The late Samuel Frazer of 
Midland stated that on several occasions he had seen the 
"Experiment" gunboat steam up the Wye River into Mud 
Lake before the present bridge was built. This is not doubt 
ed as the River Wye is very deep from the Lake to its entr 
ance into that portion of Christendom Bay now known as 
Tiffin Harbor. 



PIONEER PAPERS in 



CHAPTER XIII. 
MILITARY FORCES AND DETACHMENTS. 

The first, as incidentally noted, during the building of 
the first block-house in 1815, was a detachment of the "Cana 
dian Fencibles" formed in 1803 in Montreal under Col. Peters. 
It embraced at various periods, in its short career, such men 
as Major Fulton who carried to England Gen. Sheaffe s des 
patches from Queenston Heights and who became Lieut.-Col. 
of the 98th ; Lieut.-Col. DeHaren who was Lieut, of the 6oth 
Rifles, 1797 ; Capt. John Hall, who became Inspecting Field 
Officer in 1814; Major Francis Cockburn, son of Sir James 
Cockburn, and who rose to be Major-General and Governor 
of the Bahamas ; and Major John Johnson, brother of Sir Ad 
am Gordon Johnson, 3rd Baronet and son of Sir John John 
son, although the latter may have been Lieut. John Johnston, 
Fort Adjutant at Sorel, as the authorities spell the two names 
with or without a "t" indifferently. Many French-Canadian 
officers of note also, such as Duchesnay, Gugy, Dufresne and 
Pingnet and others were associated with this Regt. which 
played its part in some of the most sanguinary contests in 
the war of 1812-15, among them, Chateauguay and Chrystler s 
Farm. The Regiment was disbanded in Montreal in 1816, 
the year after its pioneer work at Penetanguishene. 

During the succeeding period down to 1822 Commander 
Wooden, R.N., with 20 or 30 marines, occupied the post. 
Lieut. Wooden owned a white horse, and, as the story runs, 
he lost it on one occasion, when a soldier of the garrison 
found it and having painted it black re-sold the horse to its 
owner. The trick was soon discovered and the story rapidly 
spread. These facts were related by the late Mrs. Ross, 
daughter of Shipwright Wilson. 

Next we have a detachment of the 76th Regt. of the line 
in 1822, which came from Bordeaux, France, in 1814, serving 
in Canada 13 years, and formed part of Gen. Robinson s bri 
gade at Plattsburg. While stationed here, a non-commission 
ed officer of the Co., Corporal Jas. Cannon, was sent to guard 
stores at the north end of the Nottawasaga Portage, living 
there with his family. He disappeared very suddenly and 
mysteriously ; his family was sent to Penetanguishene, and 
Corporal Stratton of the same Co. sent in his place. (Thos. 
Williams Memories, p. 24.) 

The 37th Regt. of Foot arrived from Pouliac, Ireland, in 
1814 and was here in 1824, also at Drummond Island under 



ii2 PIONEER PAPERS 



Col. McDouall. The late David Burke, father of the late Mrs. 
A. A. Thompson, was Quartermaster-Sergeant in this Regt., 
and his burial is duly recorded in St. James register. 

The 34th Regt., Lieut. Hutton in command, was stationed 
here in 1827. Thos. Kettle, Color-Sergeant, whose remains 
lie in St. James cemetery, recalls the memory of this Detach 
ment, also Ensign Medley. An extract from the "Loyalist" 
newspaper, reprinted in Dr. Scadding s "Toronto of Old," p. 
557, stating that Ensign Medley in 1827, proceeding to join 
his Regiment at Penetanguishene, on board the "Queenston" 
from Toronto, excites some curiosity as to the route by which 
he reached his destination, and why he chose that route, as 
there was no Welland Canal till 1829. He would be compel 
led to make the portage to Chippewa and follow the long, 
roundabout lake route. 

The next we have is the 68th, under Lieut. Carson from 
Drummond Island, at the transfer in 1828; and soon after, the 
7lst Highland Light Infantry, or "Glasgow Highlanders," in 
command of Major Howard. We met them a little earlier 
(say 1826) along with some noted travellers at Holland Land 
ing on their way to relieve the 68th at Drummond Island. 
Thos. Williams in his Memories, p. 34, says they were not 
real Highlanders as they wore the plaid but not the kilt. 
They were also commanded by Col. Maude of the 100th and 
Major Winnett of the 68th, the latter somewhat tyrannical ac 
cording to the late Capt Anderson. 

They were succeeded in 1830 and 31 by the 79th Camer 
on Highlanders under Col. Mathewson and Lieut. Impett. It 
was this Regiment which furnished the painful tragedy of 
the McGarraty Brothers at the Long woods, now become 
famous. The march to this post in early times was a most 
tedious and laborious one, difficult to realize in these days of 
rapid transportation, taking generally about three days from 
Toronto, the Headquarters. The first day, Holland Landing 
(33 miles) was accomplished, next day the west arm of Lake 
Simcoe was crossed reaching Kempenfeldt, and the third day 
would bring them to the garrison. During the last day s 
weary march of 35 miles, having reached the Long woods, 
just below Wyebridge, one of the brothers became ill and 
fell out and his elder brother kept him company. The de 
tachment pushed on anxious to reach their destination, dark 
ness having set in, and when a relief squad returned next 
morning both brothers were found dead. Being the month of 
June with very sultry weather and clouds of mosquitos, and 



PIONEER PAPERS 113 



in the depth of a savage wilderness, it is supposed one died 
from illness and exhaustion, the other from fear and thirst, 
as they were found some distance apart, one brother appar 
ently having wandered away in search of water, although 
the popular impression, which has become a tradition, was 
that they were literally bled to death by mosquitos. The late 
Mrs. Ross, who was born the same year and to whom the oc 
currence was only a memory, said that Lieut. Impett, who was 
in command, was severely censured for his inhumanity, in 
the general estimation, as it is said the sick soldier requested 
to ride and was refused. Sir Richard Bonnycastle of the 
Royal Engineers, who was here at the time, made an official 
investigation and reported "no one to blame," as the weak 
one may have died in the course of nature, and the strong 
one from fear at being left with his brother s corpse in the 
vast wilderness. Sir Richard often passed the spot on horse 
back, not, as he says, without a shudder. (Bonnycastle s 
Canada, Vol. I., p. 292). The tree with the names of the two 
soldiers carved thereon by the settlers was a well known land 
mark for years in the forest just beyond the late Chas. Rank- 
in s residence. The remains of the devoted brothers were 
carried on stretchers to the garrison and deposited in the 
little military cemetery by their faithful comrades, who caus 
ed a stone to be erected with the following inscription : 
"Erected by their comrades to the memory of Privates John 
and Samuel McGarraty, two brothers, late of the 79th Regi 
ment, who died on the march to this Post on the 2nd June, 
1831, John aged 25, Samuel aged 23 years. In the midst of 
life we are in death, The 79th had fought under Welling 
ton at Waterloo. History says that of the 800 men who went 
into the conflict on that fateful day only 80 survived. Among 
the survivors who accompanied Ihe Regiment to Canada was 
the late John Hamilton of Hillsdale. He received his dis 
charge at Penetanguishene in 1832 after 21 years faithful 
service and settled on the Military road where he kept a way 
side inn for many years. James and William Hamilton of 
Hillsdale are sons, and the late Mrs. Daniel Gill of Orillia 
was a daughter. 

The 82nd Regt. appears to have been co-temporary with 
the 79th, or succeeded them very soon, as it is scheduled for 
1831. The 82nd with the 6th Warwickshire formed Gen. 
Brisbane s Brigade and fought at Fort Erie in that gallant 
sortie, which a premature explosion rendered so terribly fatal 
on the eve of success. Dr. Nicholson was surgeon of this de 
tachment, said to be related to Squire Sam. Eraser;. Thos. 



ii4 PIONEER PAPERS 



Smith was Corporal, and Samuel Eraser, Sergeant, all of 
whose names appear in St. James Register. Sam. Fraser is 
not to be confounded with Squire Sam. Fraser who was Ward 
en of St. James at various periods, and died unmarried, while 
Sergeant Sam. Fraser was married and later had a son bap 
tised in the church. Capt. Hogg, who is said to have been 
the last of the Military to occupy the Officers quarters, was 
Barrack Master. A famous St. Andrew s anniversary dinner 
held that year at the "Masonic Arms," indicating the pres 
ence of the "Cameron Highlanders in force, or at least a 
strong Scotch atmosphere, was made historic and the guests 
in a measure compensated for their absence from the land of 
the heather and their seclusion in this far-away post, by the 
following original song, composed by Capt. Hogg for the oc 
casion and sung to the tune of "Auld Lang Syne, and which 
became current in this region for many years. The words 
appeared in the "British Colonist" in l83l(?) and were read 
before the members of the "Canadian Institute" at their meet 
ing here in 1891. (We cannot vouch for the correctness of 
the composition as they were repeated to us from memory.): 

1 Ye Scotsmen a , baith far an near 

From Gaspe to Sandwich green 
Come join wi me and sing a song 

At Penetanguishene. 
What though removed frae balls and routs 

And city s cheerin gleam, 
We ve got our ain guid salmon trout 
At Penetanguishene. 

CHORUS. Oh ! Penetanguishene, my boys, 

Oh ! Penetanguishene, 
The de il may care we re happy here, 
At Penetanguishene. 

2 An whitefish too, baith fat an faire, 

Might star a civic s e en, 
Or guees the gab o Lon on s Mayor, 

At Penetanguishene. 
Gin cares or sorrows should perplex 

Or e en the monster green, 
Cantie Jamie can cure it a 
At Penetanguishene. 

CHORUS. 

3 He s got a wee bit cosy kigg, 

He says it s for a frien , 
To taste an try your welcome a ye, 

At Penetanguishene. 
Come join your hands my cronies a . 

Awa wi strife an spleen, 
We ll tak a reel some ither night 
At Penetanguishene. 

CHORUS. 



PIONEER PAPERS 115 



The following original poem characteristic of the time 
and place, although partaking somewhat of the doggerel, was 
furnished us by the late Samuel Eraser of Midland just prev 
ious to his death and afterwards published in the "Free 
Press." We have no means of arriving at the date of its 
composition or the name of the author. One authority says 
it was written in 1840 by a luckless "subaltern"who was then 
stationed here. Mr. Fraser could not recall the date, but as 
serted it was earlier than that. It was evidently written pre 
vious to 1829, possibly as early as 1821. Michael Macdonnell, 
the uncle referred to, was engaged with the Hudson Bay Co. 
till the amalgamation of the fur Go s at the latter date. On 
his return from a visit to his native land he re-entered the fur 
trade under the new regime but returned with the Drummond 
Islanders, and by 1829 was settled on his allotment of land in 
Tay. During one of these periods, either before 1821 or in 
the interval between that date and 1829, he occupied one of 
the three fur posts on Penetanguishene Bay, probably the old 
building at the foot of Broad Street, where he was the recipi 
ent of copies of the "Gazette" from his friend, in which the 
poem appeared. Another version of this effusion, minus the 
last two stanzas, which may have been added later, was pub 
lished in 1903 (Transaction No. 4) by the Women s Historical 
Society of Toronto. The poem, with its quaint phrasing, is, 
we think, worth re-producing for its old associations and his 
toric memories of the fleeting fame of the garrison days. The 
Tommy Bare" in the fifth stanza is military slang for a kind 
of pudding served without sauce. 

"In my boyish days a military friend of iny uncle s, who was at that 
time stationed at Penetanguishene, used to send him the United Service Ga 
zette, in one of which appeared the following lines, which I had at the time 
pleasurably copied ; but in time the manuscript was mislaid. But in looking 
up some old papers the other day they, for all that was associated with them, 
appeared to my delighted vision. Doubtless your readers will admire them 
for their originality, as well as for the sake of old Penetanguishene. Samuel 
Frazer." 

To ye who, tired of war s alarms Want combing into trim ; 

In garrison or camp, Whose elbows are a little out, 

Are sighing for the many oharms Such things have been, 

Of march, routa, or a tramp ; (They will be bettered by a bout 



Or who on board batteau or ship 
Delight to vent your spleen, 

I hereby recommend a trip 
To Penetanguishene. 

Oh I tis the place for youthful sprigs 



At Penetanguishene. 

Tis here you learn true jollity, 
And scorn the march of mind ; 

And live in fond equality 
With beasts of every kind. 



Whose epaulette* grow dim JThe Indian with his scalping knifa 

With city weai ; whos ros oil d wigs; Diversifies the scene. 



n6 



PAPERS 



Oh ! tis a mighty pleasant life 
At Penetanguishene. 

You shake a -wild cat by the fist 

When in your path he halts ; 
With beavers take a hand at whist, 

And gallopade and waltz 
With shaggy bears, who when you roam 

Afar in forest green 
Remind you that your nearest home 

Is Penetanguishene. 

Upon the article of grub 

You must lay little stress, 
For here with grief the starving sub 

Bemoans headquarter mess. 
His pound of junk and "Tommy" bare 

But make a dinner lean ; 
For surfeits they are very rare 

At Penetanguishene. 

And then for swipes, poor devil, he 

Must look and feel quite glum, 
Since now a sober Treasury 



Has dock d the ration rum, 
Unless it be with maple juice, 

A drink that s thin and mean, 
He cannot shake a corkscrew loose 

At Penetanguishene. 

A pipe is quite a rarity, 

Tho here for life you smoke 
In clouds, to be mosquito free, 

For tis no trifling joke 
If you have ague or the yaws, 

Cigar was never seen 
In man or maid or monster s jaws 

At Penetanguishene. 

You d give your eyes for heavy wet, 

Your ears for quid or snuff, 
Your teeth but for a short hour s whet 

On any wholesome stuff. 
Oh ! quick will cure each dowdy ghost 

Of ennui or of spleen, 
A winter s station at the post 

Of Penetanguishene. 



The next was a detachment of the I5th Regt. in 1835 in 
command of Lieut. Ingall. His signature is attached to the 
order along with Adjutant Keating s as Commandant, setting 
apart the land for St. James Church and Cemetery for the 
Military. Dr. Nevinson, remembered by the older inhabit 
ants, was Surgeon. They were succeeded by the 66th known 
as the 1st, or Royal Regt., of whom Sir James Kempt, Gov- 
Gen. of Canada in 1828, was at one time Major, and who 
served at Quatre Bras and Waterloo. Brigadier-General J. 
G. Dartnell of South African fame, whose father was surgeon 
of the Regt. at the time, was born here in 1838. Surgeon 
DartnelPs sketch of Penetanguishene Bay will be remember 
ed in the author s former publication on the Voyageurs. His 
son, Brig. -Gen. Dartnell, received his first commission as En 
sign in the 86th Regt., County Down, and at once joined 
headquarters in India, where he served under Sir Hugh Ross 
and was present at the storm and capture of Chundasi and 
led the successful attack on the fortress of Jahnsi. After a 
brilliant career in India he retired to South Africa, where a 
series of gallant exploits, among them the withdrawals from 
Dundee after Sir Penn Symmonds was laid low. A staff 
officer said of him, "Dartnell, who covered himself with credit 
during the march from Dundee, is here the life and soul of 
the camp." A fine appreciation of his career may be found 
in the "Army Celebrities," part XV., 1901. The late Judge 



PIONEER PAPERS 117 



Dartnell of Whitby was a cousin, and the late Col. Fred. 
Wells, who served as a private here in the 1st or Royal Regt. 
of Foot during 1845-6 and 7, was afterward at Alma and Ink- 
erman and was presented with a sword by the city of Toron 
to in 1856, was his brother-in-law, whose daughter is Mrs. De 
Pencier, wife of the Rev. Jas. DePencier, for some time As 
sistant Rector of St. James Cathedral, Toronto. This was 
also the Regt. of the ill-fated Lieut. Glascott, whose tablet 
erected by Capt. Moberly adorns the walls of old St. James 
Military Church. 

The I3th Light Dragoons were here in 1840-1-2 and 3. 
The first burial recorded in St. James Register by Rev. Geo. 
Hallen is that of Wm. Wells, aged 50 years, of the I3th Light 
Dragoons, in July, 1840. This is probably the original of 
"Well s Hill/ Davenport Road, and the father of Col. Fred. 
Wells, noted above, who was born in Toronto. 

The 93rd Highlanders were here in 1843-4, Capt. Hay in 
command, whose brother was Rev. Wm. Hay for some time 
stationed as Missionary at Bruce Mines. John Stewart, whose 
name appears on St. James Register, was drummer. This 
Regt. paraded at the obsequies of Mrs. Solomon, first wife of 
the late Wm. Solomon, Government Interpreter to the Indian 
Department, and was present and took a prominent part in 
the ceremonies at the unveiling of the new monument erected 
to the memory of Gen. Brock in 1846, to replace the one de 
stroyed. It probably proceeded direct from Penetanguishene. 

The Incorporated Militia, commanded by Col. Davis, was 
stationed here in 1841-2-3. The late Sergeant Thos. Teuton 
belonged to this Coy. 

This Regt. was made up from detachments and picked 
companies of the various militia corps in almost every county 
in Canada from Essex in the west to Johnstown District in 
the east, at the beginning of the American war of 1812, and 
was at the sacking of York (now Toronto), the short but sharp 
and sanguinary conflict at the capture of Fort Niagara, the 
assault of Fort Erie and the battle of Lundy s Lane. Its first 
Commander was Lt-Col. Wm. Robinson of the 8th or King s 
Regt. who won high esteem in military circles during the 
American War and died in the Isle of Wight in 1827. With 
the 76th it formed part of Gen. Robinson s Brigade at the as 
sault on FortErie and at Lundy sLane where he was wounded. 
The Company embraced such men as Capt. James Kerby who 
guided a storming party at the assault of Fort Niagara, com 
manded the Battalion after Col. Robinson was wounded at 



n8 PIONEER PAPERS 



Lundy s Lane, had been at Queenston and Frenchman s 
Creek and was presented by the Assembly with a sword of 
honor for his gallantry; Col. Allan McLean who became 
Speaker of the House of Assembly, and Col. Daniel K. Servos 
who guided a column at the assault of Fort Niagara. Col. 
Davis was formerly ensign in the Royal Newfoundland Regt, 
had been Capt. in the New Brunswick Fencibles and was 
present at Chrystler s Farm and was mentioned in despatches. 
There were also Lieut Thaddeus Davis present at Black Rock, 
mentioned in despatches, and Ensign Hall Davis who piloted 
boats at Black Rock and was mentioned in despatches and 
became a Lieut. These with Cols. James Kerby and Daniel 
Servos were from the. Lincoln Militia. 

The 84th Regt. stationed here in 1844 recalls to some of 
the older residents the fragrant memory of Col. Osborne West, 
the popular Commander. Col. West was noted as a keen 
sportsman and encouraged all sorts of athletic sports with a 
liberal patronage. His establishment included four horses, 
which he often had hitched and drove "tandem to the evid 
ent delectation of the soldiers, aborigines and numerous ad 
mirers. He encouraged the manly game of cricket, and und 
er his direction the famous cricket ground was cleared, the 
former site of which is on the brow of St. Andrew s Lake be 
low the Garrison, on the left-hand side of the Military Road 
going south, occupying a portion of the north-west corner of 
what was known as the Ayling farm, second concession of 
Tay. It was within easy distance of the Garrison, showing a 
taste for English art, "strong in exile," transplanted to a wild 
erness, and Penetanguishene thus boasted for many years of 
the rare spectacle of a cricket lawn in the depths of a Cana 
dian forest. In 1885 the old cricket ground, still intact, sur 
rounded by a forest hedge of second growth, was yet the 
cynosure of travellers and visitors. During his stay here Col. 
West was visited by his brother, Capt. West, a wealthy ship 
builder and owner in England. 

The Royal Canadian Rifles seemed to have had a longer 
probation here than any other detachment, and it also enjoy 
ed a greater variety in its commanders, in fact, it is the only 
Regiment of which the War office in London appears to have 
preserved a complete record. They were domiciled at the 
Garrison here from 1847 to 1851 inclusive, first under Lieut. 
James Black till 1848, then Lieut. W. H. Fitzgerald till 1850-1, 
lastly, Lieut. K. M. Mpffatt, 1851. This Regt. appears to have 
been employed occasionally as marines and will be recalled 



PIONEER PAPERS 119 



as the Co y. of the late Edward LeCamp who was Sergeant 
in the Navy and did clerical duty in the Admiralty, being 
clerk of the works here for several years, and who became 
well known and highly respected. Sergeant Edward Le 
Camp was born in Ireland in 1806, of Huguenot extraction, 
his ancestors having emigrated thither from France during the 
persecution. He was educated for the profession of teaching 
and was a gold medalist and was engaged for some time as 
private tutor in a gentleman s family. Some of the family 
went to India ; Edward enlisted and came to Halifax, thence 
to Penetanguishene. He was always engaged at clerical 
work in the Admiralty office and never did soldier s ordinary 
drill work, but served his full term of twenty-one years and 
received his ) discharge. He and Mr. Langdon, a seaman of 
the "Minos, whose wife is buried in St. James Cemetery, 
settled at Lafontaine where he died in 1857. He married first 
Mary Hughes, second Jane Edwards in 1851 by whom he had 
two children. The late William LeCamp, who was Reeve, 
then Treasurer, of Tiny, for several years and died at Lafont- 
taine in 1906, was a son. The late Mrs. Wm. King was a 
daughter. Mr. Edward LeCamp of Lafontaine is a grandson. 
The remains of the late Sergeant LeCamp were duly laid to 
rest in St. James Cemetery, the Rev. Geo. Hallen officiating. 
John Gow and John Bohen were corporals in the R. C. Rifles, 
and both are buried in St. James church-yard. Numerous 
baptisms and burials from this Co. y are recorded in St. James 
Register. 

The Slst Regt. was here in 1850, but Robt. Clark, who 
was Sergeant in this Regt. and father of the late George 
Clark, sometime Collector of Customs here, was buried ac 
cording to St. James Register in 1859, aged 87 years. 

The 38th Regt. of Foot followed the latter and is rememb 
ered through John Byrnes who was Sergeant of this Co y. 
and whose burial is recorded in St. James Register in May, 
1851, followed a few months later by that of his widow, Mrs. 
Rose Byrnes, parents of the well-known late Mrs. Jos. Dusome 
and of the late Mrs. Dunn of Midhurst. Sergeant Byrnes was 
the only one of the commuted pensioners, so far as we can 
learn, who came with his Regt. and accepted commutation, 
afterwards settling here, while the others received their dis 
charge previous to coming. There was a commuted pension 
er named John Burns who was sexton of St. James Church 
for some years and who died at the age of 74, but the Regt. 
to which he belonged is not stated and his name is spelled 



120 PIONEER PAPERS 



differently. Mr. Edward Byrnes of Barrie was a son of the 
late Sergeant Byrnes. 

The 24th Regt. of Foot in 1852, commanded by Lieut. 
James, was the last Regt. stationed here. We have not been 
able to gather any particulars regarding this detachment, 
further than that Dr. A. R. Stephen was the Surgeon, he hav 
ing been appointed Medical attendant for the enrolled pen 
sioners who were here at the same time in command of Capt. 
Hodgetts, who figures as a witness to the marriage recorded 
in St. James Register of Widow Mary Lloyd" and Dr. Hore, 
who succeeded Surgeon Stephen. 

A personal letter dated 1907 from the latter contains the 
following sketch of his career: Dr. A. R. Stephen was born 
in Kent, the son of a Waterloo veteran who carried the Regt. 
colors and was wounded in that historic battle. His father 
received a military appointment at Sorel in Quebec, and in 
time he himself received an appointment ai the hands of Sir 
Benjamin Durban (D Urban) as an ensign in the Incorporated 
Militia with a force detailed to guard the Welland Canal. He 
afterwards studied medicine and surgery and when qualified 
as a surgeon was appointed by Lord Cathcart about 1852 as 
Medical Officer to one hundred pensioners at Penetangui- 
shene then in charge of Capt, Hodgetts. Soon after, the Can 
adian Government installed him as Medical attendant of the 
Indian tribes on Beausoliel Island whose chief was J. Aissance 
at that time, and who were shortly afterward removed to 
Christian Island. The pensioners were given ten acres of 
land each and provided with a house to live in, and were to 
enlist for four years and then retire. The scheme proved a 
failure as the land was well timbered and the men could not 
handle an axe. Dr. Stephen lived at the Garrison two years 
and then moved to the village where he remained another 
year. (The leading men then were : W. B. Hamilton and 
Alfred Thompson, merchants.) He then went to Collingwood, 
known then as the "Hen and Chickens, which the Northern 
Railway Co. had chosen as their terminus, and which was 
"boomed" as the future Chicago of Canada, having been 
christened Collingwood after the famous British Admiral. In 
coming to Penetangui&hene, he took stage from Toronto to 
Holland Landing, then by boat toOrillia, from there by stage 
to Sturgeon Bay, thence by Steamer "Gore" to the Garrison. 
He went from Penetanguishene to Collingwood by boat, 
which we further learn was built by himself. 

Surgeon Stephen was active in military affairs and be- 



PIONEER PAPERS 121 



came Major of a battalion which went to Port Colborne and 
Fort Erie during the Fenian Raid. He also took a lively in 
terest in municipal affairs, was a member of Collingwood s 
first council, helped to start the Public Library and held var 
ious offices. At the age of 8a he retired from practice as 
physician and surgeon during a period of fifty years. Dur 
ing his sojourn as Surgeon of the post here, Col. Clement of 
the Royal Canadian Rifles paid a visit to the Establishment. 
This was probably First Lieut. Clement of the 2nd Lincoln 
Militia wounded at the battle of Chippewa and who died at 
St. Catharines in 1879. 

Of these detachments, the 1st or Royal Regt. after stren 
uous service at the capture of Fort Niagara, the assault of 
Fort Erie, the battles of Chippawa and Lundy s Lane, left for 
England in July, 1815, and on its homeward voyage met with 
a thrilling experience, the left wing of the fourth battalion 
being wrecked on Anticosti, losing all its arms and baggage. 
It returned to Canada again in the thirties. Lieut.-Col. John 
Gordon, the commanding officer, was mortally wounded at 
Fort Erie, dying soon after, and a slab was erected to his 
memory in Montreal by his brother officers. 

The 82nd Regt. or "Prince of Wales Volunteers," also 
left Canada for Ostend in June, 1815, returning later. Its 
stay in Canada the second time seems to have been prolong 
ed, as is indicated by two entries in St. James Register, one 
of which reads: "Ellen Grace Bristow," daughter of Surgeon 
J. Nicholson, buried, 1842; the other : "Patrick Simon Eraser," 
son of Surgeon J. Nicholson, baptised. 1845, Dr. Nicholson 
being the surgeon of the 82nd. It formed part of Gen. Bris 
bane s brigade and fought at the assault of Fort Erie and 
the capture of Fort Niagara. 

Of the numerous Regts. which returned to England at 
the close of the war in 1815, and of those stationed at this 
post, the 1st or Royal Regt. and the 82nd were the only Regts. 
returning to Canada for the second time. 

Many officers and members of the forces stationed at 
this post may be referred to with pardonable pride as having 
risen to high and honorable positions and as having won dis 
tinguished military careers. We have already mentioned 
Col. Fied. Wells of the 1st Royals, who accompanied his 
Regt. to India, was at Alma, Inkerman and Sebastopol, etc., 
and was presented with a sword by the City of Toronto in 
1856. Gen. Sir Gordon Drummond, Col. of the /ist Glasgow 
Highlanders, served in Holland and Egypt, succeeded Gen. 



122 PIONEER PAPERS 



Sir. Isaac Brock as President of Upper Canada and was sev 
erely wounded at Lundy s Lane. Major-Gen. Henry Couran 
of the 1st Royals and the 82nd served in India against Tipoo 
Sahib and became Lieut.-Gov. of Jamaica in 1816. Sir James 
Kempt, G.C.B., Major of the 66th, was A.D.C. and Military 
Secretary to Gen. Abercrombie in Egypt, was present at 
Waterloo, served in the Peninsular campaign, became Lieut. 
Gov. of Nova Scotia in 1820 and Gov.-General of Canada in 
1828, under whose regime the transfer of Drummond Island 
took place. Lieut.-Col. Allan McLean of the Incorporated 
Militia became Speaker of the House of Assembly, 1812-16. 
Noah Freer, Lieut, of the Canadian Fencibles, was Military 
Secy, and A.D.C. to Sir Geo. Prevost and whose name figures 
largely in the Canadian Archives during and after the period 
of the American War. Major Francis Cockburn of the Can 
adian Fencibles was a son of Sir James Cockburn. He at 
tended Lord Dalhousie in his famous itinerary from Quebec 
to Sault Ste. Marie via the lakes and the French and Ottawa 
Rivers, and back to Montreal in 1820, making extended ob 
servations recorded in the Canadian Archives for 1896, pp. 
71-4. He served in the Peninsular campaign, and South Am 
erica, was Superintendent of British Honduras and Governor 
and Commander-in-Chief of the Bahama Islands in 1840, 
which was a decided advance on military pioneering through 
inhospitable Canadian wilds in the early war-times. Capt. 
Collier of the Royal Marines, who was sent here in 1815 with 
the Canadian Fencibles to superintend the building of Sir 
James Yeo s 24-gun frigate, served during the Syrian cam 
paign at the capture of St. Jean d Acre, where he was 
wounded ; commanded the "Princess Charlotte" and was 
present at Oswego. He became Sir Edward Collier, C.B., in 
1840, and his name is honored in one of Barrie s principal 
streets. Col. Newdigate Poyntz, R.N., and the Royal Engi 
neers, who was here with Capt. Collier and made the second 
survey of the harbor in 1815, was present at Alexandria and 
Copenhagen, commanded the gun-boat "Netley" and was 
promoted Commander for his services in the latter part of 
1815. Poyntz St. in town honors his memory. Col. George 
Philpotts, Royal Engineers, who surveyed part of Penetangui- 
shene s town site, took part in the assault on Fort Erie, also 
served in Canada during the Rebellion and was at one time 
candidate for the office of Surveyor-General. He died in Ber 
muda in 1853. Surgeon Hore, who succeeded Dr. Stephen 
who went to Collingwood, had his residence separate from 
the Officers quarters. It was a log building adjacent to the 




COL. FULFORD B. FEILDE 

FROM A I HOIOC.RAIMI IN TIIU I OSM-JSSIOX OF HIS DAUGIITKR. MRS. DARBY, TORONTO 



PIONEER PAPERS 123 



shore near the former site of Adjutant Keat ng s residence 
long since removed. Dr. Hore s marriage to Mrs. Mary Lloyd, 
widow, grandmother of Mr. C. E. Wright of this town and of 
Mrs. Jas. Thompson, is recorded in St. James Register as 
Richard Coller Hore (which we take as a slip of the pen for 
Richard Collier Hore) and duly witnessed by Capt. Hodgetts 
of the Establishment. Surgeon Hore had the misfortune to 
lose his kit of surgical tools, which went to the bottom of the 
Bay in crossing to Magazine Island in a severe storm. They 
still repose in the company of D. Macdonald s valuable gold 
watch which later went to the bottom at the old dock near 
by, while the owner was on a tour of inspection of the On 
tario Reformatory for Boys. 

CHAPTER XIV. 
MILITARY OFFICERS, ETC. 

An entry in St. James Register, dated 2lst July, 1839, 
records the baptism of Sophia, daughter of Fulford B. Feilde 
of the Garrison. A letter from Mrs. Grant of Prescott, daught 
er of the late Col. Fulford B. Feilde, says that Sophia died in 
her girlhood and her remains rest in the family plot in the 
Anglican Cemetery at Barrie. Her father served, as a youth, 
under the Duke of Wellington, and she further states that 
after the Battle of Waterloo her father was stationed at Bar- 
badoes, West Indies, and Sierra Leone ; he also served in 
Portugal and Mauritins, where he was disabled with fever 
and invalided back to England. The late Capt. Frederick 
Feilde, who lived near Hamilton and was an officer on the 
field of Waterloo, was a brother. Col. Fulford B. Feilde was 
sent to Canada in Dec., 1830, and served in Guelph twice, 
London, Prescott and Penetanguishene. An item in the To 
ronto Globe of June I5th, 1915, referring to the death of his 
widow at the age of 94 years, said he was sent to Canada as 
Commissary-General of the forces. He was a successor of 
Commissary-General W. H. Robinson who served in Canada 
during the American War and became Sir W. H. Robinson 
and whose name is engraved deep in well-formed letters on 
the inside wall of the old Magazine, with the date 1759 prob 
ably cut there by Feilde himself as one of his successors or 
successor in office. The late Col. F. B, Feilde while station 
ed here married a daughter of Capt. Wickens, an old military 
officer resident here and who afterwards removed to the Mili 
tary road near Barrie and gave his name to Wickens Creek, 
and built a saw-mill, and represented Simcoe in 1836. (See 



124 PIONEER PAPERS 



A. F. Hunter, History of Simcoe County,Vol. II., pp. 102 & 130). 
Col. Feilde was highly esteemed both by whites and Indians. 
These were the days of Chief Assignack (Black Bird) Indian 
interpreter for the Government who gave Mr. Feilde an Indian 
name, Ah-bah-mosh, signifying "The Present-mans" also 
drew for him a map of Manitoulin Island in Sept., 1835, giv 
ing the Indian names of all the bays. While stationed at 
Prescott his wife died. He married for his second wife Miss 
Catherine, daughter of Rev. Robt. Blakey, first Anglican 
rector of that parish, who built the little blue church of 
historic fame and where the founder of Methodism in Canada, 
Barbara Heck, is buried. Col. Feilde retired after 40 years 
service and settled in Prescott. where he died in 1885. Mrs. 
Caston of Craighurst is a grand-daughter. The second Mrs. 
Feilde died June I5th, 1915, leaving one son, Dr. E. A. Feilde 
of Montreal, and four daughters, Mrs. Ross and Mrs. Grant, 
Prescott, Mrs. Jacob and Mrs. Sefton (Amy) Toronto, twenty- 
one grand children and fourteen great grandchildren. In the 
first family, in addition to Sophia mentioned above, there 
were James, deceased, and Mrs. Darby (Emily), Toronto. Col. 
Feilde accompanied Sir R. H. Bonnycastle of the Royal En 
gineers, Lieut. Ingall, Commandant of the post, Surgeon 
Nevinson of the medical staff, Edward Jeffery, and an Indian 
carrying a bark canoe, on an expedition over the portage 
from the head of the bay to King s Mills and up to the mouth 
of the Nottawasaga River in 1835. 

Sir Richard Bonnycastle, Lieut.-Col. of the Royal Engi 
neers, as well as Lieut.-Col. of the Upper Canada militia, was 
a frequent visitor to the town and garrison in the thirties, and 
wrote quite an extended work descriptive of Canada at that 
time. He witnessed the savage military parade of the Ponta- 
hwattahmas and 2000 other Indians on theGairison commons 
in 1832 in presence of Sir John Colborne. He records the 
distances between numerous important points in the Canadas 
and states that Huron is 5?8 feet above the Atlantic Ocean 
and Lake Simcoe 480 feet above Lake Ontario. His observa 
tions on the naval and military situation make interesting 
reading. In Vol. L, p. 285, he says, "Invasion via Penetang- 
uishene, always a vulnerable point, is no longer dreaded." 
Again, Vol. I., pp. 289-90, he says, "Penetanguishene, a small 
but excellent harbor on Georgian Bay of Lake Huron, cap 
able of hold ng a large fleet secure in all weathers, was chos 
en as the sectt of a naval establishment in order to protect 
Upper Canada from invasion by the lake as the capital is 



PIONEER PAPERS 125 



approachable from that point." It will be interesting, in this 
connection also, to call attention to an item in the Toronto 
Globe of June 1st, 1862, which reads, Last night Col. Coffin 
delivered a lecture in St. Lawrence Hall on the Defence of 
Canada to an audience of city volunteers and officers of the 
Sedentary Militia. One of the most important points for the 
defence of Canada, Col. Coffin considered, was Penetangui- 
shene." 

Capt. Baddely was another officer of the Royal Engineers 
who surveyed the North Shore as far as Lake Nippising. 

Maj.-Gen. A. R. Vingan Crease, Royal Engineers, son of 
the late Capt. Henry Crease of the Royal Navy, was here in 
1851 and was the author of a sketch of Penetanguishene s 
Main Street as it was then and of the Garrison grounds and 
buildings, the sketches being now in the John Ross Robert 
son Collection, Toronto. Maj.-Gen. Crease joined the Army 
in 1846, was Colonel in 1881, served in the Crimean War, 1855- 
6 under Sir R. H. Vivyan in command of the engineer force 
with the Turkish contingent and commanded the engineers 
during the occupation of Kertch by the allies ; served under 
Sir Hugh Rose, commanding the 2lst Co- of Royal Engineers 
with the Central India field force at the battle of Antsee and 
the capture ot Gwalior during the Indian Mutiny in 1858, re 
ceiving medal and clasp. He commanded the Royal Engi 
neers in South Africa, 1881-5, retiring in the last year with 
the rank of Maj.-Gen. and finishing his public career as Lieut.- 
Governor of the Isle of Guernsey. As Commandant of the 
Royal Engineers for the Northern district of Canada he sur 
veyed the route for the Georgian Bay Ship Canal, which after 
65 years is still in the incipient survey stage, though it is just 
possible the reference is made to the Huron-Ontario Ship 
Canal from Toronto to Collingwood, which is still further in 
the distant future. Major-Gen. Crease died at Warrior Gard 
ens, St. Leonard-on-the-Sea, in October, 1892, at 66 years of 
age. He was married twice and left one son, who is manag 
er of the Parliament St. branch of the Bank of Commerce, 
Toronto. 

Lieut.-Col. R. H. Bruyeres commanded the Royal Engi 
neers in Canada during the American War of 1812-15 and 
projected the opening of the Military road to this post, during 
the strenuous times of the threatened attack on Mackinaw, 
when, in the emergency the Nottawasaga route was chosen 
instead, but we have no information as to his having been at 
Penetanguishene though he may have been at some later 
date. 



126 PIONEER PAPERS 



CANADIAN GOVERNORS. 

Sir John Colborne, afterwards Lord Seaton. was gazetted 
Lieut-Gov. of Upper Canada in succession to Sir Peregrine 
Maitland, Aug. I4th, 1828, arriving at York (Toronto) the 
seat of government, the following November. This post he 
held for eight years, afterwards assuming the post of Com 
mander of the Forces and Administrator in succession to 
Lord Durham. The same year Sir James Kempt, his com 
panion in arms through the Peninsular War, in Italy and at 
Waterloo, was made Governor-General of the Canadas, and 
the entire Biitish North American Provinces. In this con 
nection it is recorded that Governors-General were usually 
charged 500 ($2000.) for their commissions, which Sir James 
Kempt, it is said, refused to take out rather than pay the 
price ; while for some reason Sir John Colborne had his sent 
free of charge, naively remarking, "Oh, well, it gives us a 
frigate to go home in." (See G. C. M. Smith s "Life of Lord 
Seaton," p. 309). Sir James Kempt was A.D.C. and Military 
Secy, to Sir Ralph Abercrombie in Egypt, was Major of the 
66th Regt. later stationed here, was Lieut.-Goy. of Nova 
Scotia in 1830, and had served in Canada during the War of 
1812-15. 

Sir John Colborne, who was Col. of the 66th Regt. in the 
Peninsular War, which regiment he again met under such 
tragic circumstances in Lower Canada, had a distinguished 
military career. He shared the varying fortunes of the army 
in both campaigns in Spain and was severely wounded in 
the right shoulder in the battle of Ciudad Rodrigo and wit 
nessed the final scenes at the death of gallant Sir John Moore 
at Corunna, where, as a dying gift, he was recommended for 
promotion to the Colonelcy of the 52nd Regt. He saw the 
remains of Sir John Moore removed at the hour of midnight 
from headquarters at the citadel to the bastion preparatory 
to burial. 

"We buried him darkly at dead of night, 
The sods with our bayonets turning." 

It is interesting to note in this connection, that, in the 
Museum at Whitehall, Eng., there is deposited a well-worn 
prayer book with this inscription on the fly-leaf, "From this 
prayer book I read the burial service over the body of Lieut- 
Gen. Sir John Moore, K.B., who received a mortal wound, 
while engaged with the French army in front of Corruna, 
Spain, on the afternoon of the l6th Jany., 1809. H. L. Sym- 



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mons, LL.D., Chaplain to the Forces. In this Museum also 
are preserved Sir John s writing desk and the sash with which 
his body was lowered into the grave. History credits Sir 
John Colborne with having wheeled the 52nd Regt. into line 
at the critical moment at Waterloo, attacking Napoleon s Im 
perial Guards and thus deciding the fate of the great conflict 
in Wellington s favor. He was made a full Colonel, King s 
Aide-de-camp, and a K. C. B. at the close of the Peninsular 
War in 1814. 

Sir John Colborne in relinquishing the Lieut-Governor 
ship of Upper Canada escaped the Rebellion of 1837 by one 
year, only to be involved in that of Lower Canada, the next, 
as Commander of the Forces. Here he met again his old 
Regt, the 66th, in charge of the Hon. Charles Gore, the 
7Ist Highlanders which fought all through the Peninsular 
campaigns and at Waterloo; the I5th, of which Hon. Charles 
Wellesley, the Duke of Wellington s son, was Colonel, and 
the 24th, of which his own son James, the coming Lord Seat- 
on, was Colonel, and the Royal Scots, all of which Regts., as 
previously mentioned, were stationed at Penetanguishene. 
An amusing incident is related of Lord Charles Wellesley, 
the 2nd Duke, and Col. of the 1 5th Regt., while on a visit to 
Quebec where he spent two days with Sir John s family. 
During his visit he was taken prisoner by one of the guards. 
When he said he was an officer of the Regt. the guard would 
not believe him, having never seen him before, but took him 
to the guard-house. He said Sir John was so ridiculously 
like the Duke, he could hardly help laughing and thought his 
father was talking to him. (G. C. M. Smith s "Life of Lord 
Seaton," p. 301.) Sir John Colborne was regarded in certain 
quarters as a stern administrator and somewhat severe, but it 
must be remembered he was a trained soldier and did his 
duty from a military standpoint. He was hung in effigy at 
Hamilton, and at Montreal was voted a "despot who had 
"filled the measure of his iniquity," while Kingsford, our Can 
adian Historian, gives him a high place as Administrator in 
the annals of government, and posterity seems disposed to 
accept this estimate. (See Kingsford, Vol. X, pp. 203-5). 

Sir John Colborne was a frequent visitor to Penetangui 
shene, always on horseback, closely identifying himself with 
its military status and the government scheme of settling the 
pensioners, as indeed his activities extended in like manner 
to various points in the Province. In his progress to and fro 
on the primitive military trail he often met with decidedly 



128 PIONEER PAPERS 



unpleasant experiences. (See Hunter s "History of Simcoe 
Co.," Vol. L, p. 87-8.) 

In 1835 Sir John paid an official visit to the Garrison in 
his capacity as Governor and Patron of the Indian tribes on 
the occasion of the annual distribution of presents. There 
were about 5000 Indians present and Sir John was treated to 
one of the greatest Indian reviews probably ever witnessed 
in Canadian wilds. It was got up for the special entertain 
ment of the Governor and his suite. This grand display took 
place on the level plain between the stone barracks and the 
bay on the west, then covered with juniper and balsam shrub 
bery and a few small trees interspersed, the former camping 
ground of Sir John Franklin s voyageurs. There were sever 
al bands of Potahwahtamies, remnants of the Black Hawk 
War of 1832, Ottawas, Winnebagoes, and Menominies from 
the U.S. who had made their way across Canada, besides 
2000 other Indians. The Pottahwattahmies and the other 
strange tribes were dissatisfied with the treatment accorded 
them by the authorities of the U.S. and were making efforts 
to gain favor with the British authorities and to show what an 
acquisition they would be to His Majesty s dominions. Sir 
Richard Bonnycastle, in his "Travels Through Canada," says 
he was present at this barbaric display and speaks of a 
"Mimic pantomine of the war path"in which the warriors were 
entirely naked except for a blue cloth over the loins, some 
painted half white and half black, the majority revelling in 
a gorgeous variety of coloring embracing red, white, black, 
vermillion and tattoo. They carried a drum, and for their 
flag the tattered remnants of an old British Standard. To Sir 
Richard s mind they were the embodiment of Toronto fire 
water, filth and rags. 

We had a description of the event from an eye witness, 
the late Frank Johnston, who was born at the garrison and 
was on the spot during the performance. Mr. Johnston stated 
that they opened the pageant with the Indian war-whoop and 
then with rifle, spear and tomahawk rushed pell-mell upon 
the pretended enemy, slaying right and left and with much 
pretence securing their scalps. This was an attack intended 
to represent how bravely they could attack and capture the 
American officer and his army. Next, the whole body of 
savages suddenly disappeared in groups and flung them 
selves flat upon the ground and began to wriggle and crawl 
through the grass and shrubs till reaching a certain point, 



PIONEER PAPERS 129 



where the same mock heroics were repeated, representing the 
surprise and capture of the victims, the Americans and their 
party. Again they demonstrated their skill in ambush, 
alighting with suddenness upon the unsuspecting foe after 
passing in single file a certain point close to but unknown to 
the enemy in darkness, during which the sole signal was a 
rap of the arrow on the bow, thus conveying the intelligence 
from one to the other. Such were a few of their savage per 
formances by v/hich they hoped to win the approbation of 
the Governor and become wards of the British. For some 
reason they failed to attain the status of Treaty Indians and 
most of the Pottahwahtamies have remained pagan to the 
present day, which may have been one of the objections to 
their acceptance, though they have made repeated efforts in 
this direction. 

This sort of governmental exclusion and ostracism of 
which the Pottahwattahmee tribes appear to be the victims, 
results partly from their paganism and partly from the hesi 
tancy or jealousies of the other tribes to share their treaty 
rights, which some think scarcely fair. They are without 
doubt identical with the "Potaquanassee" Indians from whom 
the British authorities purchased Drummond Island in 1814. 
Mrs. Jamieson, the traveller and writer, in her account of her 
visit at this time speaks of an encampment of 5000 Indians 
(enumerating the different tribes) and refers to an English 
officer with a Russian wife, (alluding evidently to Capt. 
Moberly), who with his family had arrived about this time. 
She likewise makes some reference to the pretty cottages 
dotting the hillside across the bay and to the thirty log 
houses of the pensioners on the "lines," which had recently 
been erected. 

Sir John Colborne was the originator of Upper Canada 
College, which will long remain a monument to his liberal 
encouragement of learning and the professions, and as in his 
previous governorship of the Channel Islands, he devoted 
much attention to the advancement of education. He was 
active in promoting the instruction of the native Indian tribes 
and procured the translation of Hymns and portions of Scrip 
ture into the Ojibway dialect. 

Sir John Colborne closed his career in Canada by re 
linquishing the government to Mr. Poulett Thomson, after 
wards Lord Sydenham, and embarked on H.M. ship the 
frigate "Pique at Quebec on the 23rd Oct , 1839, having been 



PIONEER PAPERS 



first invested with the insignia of the Grand Cross of the Bath 
as a reward for his services, at the hands of Lieut-General 
Sir James Macdonell, K.C.B., who had been granted special 
authority to confer it, just as Sir John had in the previous 
September been empowered by the British authorities to in 
vest Sir James Macdonell himself with the insignia of the K. 
C.B. in reward for gallant services. This was the General 
James Macdonell in history who in the famous battle of Wat 
erloo was the winner of the 500 prize as the defender of 
Hougomont, the "Bravest Briton of them all." Gen. James 
Macdonell commanded the forces against the second up 
rising at Napierville in Lower Canada, at which the forces 
embodied nearly the same Regts. as later did duty at Pene- 
tanguishene. On Sir John s return to England in the closing 
months of 1839 he was elevated to the peerage as Baron Sea- 
ton of Seaton, Co. of Devon, and granted a yearly pension of 
2000 for three lives. In 1843 he was appointed to the office 
of Lord High Commissioner of the Ionian Islands. Lord 
Seaton was commander of the forces in Ireland for five years 
resigning the office in i860; he died in 1863, aged 85 years. 

Mr. Charles Poulett Thomson reached Quebec October 
I/th in H.M. Frigate the "Pique," which afterward bore away 
Lord Seaton to the old land. To Mr. Thomson was allotted 
the task of reconciling jarring factions, race prejudices and 
the incongruities of the Quebec Act, the Constitutional Act 
and the Union Act. But he was a man of action and proved 
to be well fitted for the part he was destined to play. Though 
not of lobust health, he seemed to be a man of unbounded 
energy and activity and immediately proceeded to acquaint 
himself with the conditions with which he had to cope. In 
August and September of 1840, he traversed almost every 
portion of Western Ontario, not omitting the Bay of the 
"Rolling Sands." Here is what he says : "From Toronto 
across Lake Simcoe to Penetanguishene on Lake Huron and 
back to Toronto, which I left last night again for the Bay of 
Quinte." (See Adam Shortt, "Makers of Canada/ p. 267, 
from Scrope s Life of Sydenham). How he reconciled the 
jarring factions, carried the Union Act and introduced re 
sponsible government, have become matters of history. He 
selected Kingston as the seat of the United Parliament, 
and near the close of the first meeting of the Legislature, was 
thrown from his horse which stumbled on going up a slight 
hill near his residence and was injured, from the effects of 
which he died a few days after. Just previous to his death 



PIONEER PAPERS 131 



he had resigned his Governorship and was invested with the 
Order of the Bath as Lord Sydenham. An imposing funeral 
was held in his honor, attended by prominent people and 
officials from all parts of Canada, and his remains were de 
posited beneath the chancel of St. George s Cathedral at 
Kingston. 

CHAPTER XV. 
FRIENDS AND HELPERS OF THE INDIANS. 

One who was associated with Sir John Colborne in his 
philanthropic efforts to educate and improve the Indian tribes 
and who became largely identified with the various schemes 
therefor, was Capt. Thos. G. Anderson of the Indian Depart 
ment, who accompanied the British forces from Drummond 
Island in 1828 and who subsequently became Superintendent 
of Indian affairs. (For a sketch of Capt. Anderson s ancestry 
and life, see "Papers and Records" of the Ontario Historical 
Society, Vol. VI./pp. 109-135). Capt. Anderson was born in 
1/79 at Sorel in Quebec, of U.E.L. stock, and early entered 
on a career in the fur trade on the Mississippi and in the 
west, was at the capture of Prairie du Chien, receiving the 
rank of Capt. of the Michigan Fencibles and on the restora 
tion of Mackinaw to the U.S., moved with the British forces 
to Drummond Island having been placed on the staff of the 
Indian Department. Here he married a daughter of Capt. 
James M. Hamilton of the 5th Regiment of Foot, who later 
became the first postmaster of Penetanguishene to which 
station the forces had retired as already recorded. 

Capt. Anderson resided at the Garrison till 1830. Sir 
John Colborne in that year, under direction of the British 
authorities, took steps to segregate the Indian tribes, locating 
them at Coldwater, and the Agency, with Mr. Anderson s 
family, was moved thither. During the summer of 1830 Capt. 
Anderson was employed by the Government in surveying and 
cutting a road from Matchedash to Coldwater. He also sup 
erintended the clearing of the Portage Road from the Narrows 
(Orillia) to Coldwater, erecting houses all along the road for 
the Indians, as well as a grist mill, a school house, and his 
family residence. Notwithstanding the removal of the 
Agency to Coldwater certain tribes from the west and the 
north continued for some time to receive their presents at 
this post. 

Rev. Peter Jones, the Indian missionary, in his Journal, 



132 PIONEER PAPERS 



pp. 350-1, recounts his visit here on the I3th July, 1832, during 
which he was present at the annual distribution at the Gar 
rison, he and the Indians coming from Coldwater in canoes 
accompanied by the Ste. Marie Indians and Mr. Anderson. 
He says, "the pagan Indians to the number of 400 or 500 had 
their wigwams on the north side of the bay, while we pitched 
our tents near the Council House which is made of poles 
covered with bark. (This would be on the plain just west of 
the Stone Barracks near the shore). In the morning the Ind 
ians from the west assembled at the King s storehouse (old 
red store) to the number of 650 to receive their presents, a- 
mounting from eight to ten dollars each." July, 1833, again 
found the Indian missionary present at the annual distribu 
tion which appears to have been the last at this post, also of 
his visits, as in July, 1836, we are informed he was preparing 
to visit the Indians at Coldwater Mission. Meantime Sir F. 
B. Head had succeeded Sir John Colborne as Lieut-Governor 
and had begun his experiments with the Indian problem, and 
Capt. Anderson in 1836 received orders to proceed to Mani- 
toulin Island where suitable buildings were to be erected pre 
paratory to a fresh effort to locate the Indians. James War 
ren, the builder of the magazine, and some others went from 
here as mechanics to aid in erecting the buildings. Capt. 
Anderson then moved with his family to Manitoulin Island 
where he remained till the death of Mr. Jarvis in 1845, 
when he was appointed in his place as Superintendent of 
Indian Affairs and they moved to Toronto, thence to Cobourg 
where Mrs. Anderson died in 1858, at which time Capt. An 
derson retired on a pension. 

During their stay at Manitoulin, Lord Morpeth, Lord 
Prudhoe and Sir Henry Harte, who were touring through 
Canada, and were previously mentioned as having visited 
this post, also called at the Island and were entertained at 
Capt. Anderson s. A gold watch to Mrs. Anderson and a fine 
telescope to Mr. Anderson with the legend "Lord Prudhoe to 
Capt. T. G. Anderson, 1842, engraved upon it, commemorat 
ed the visit. This telescope came into possession of Rev. 
Gustavus A. Anderson, his second son, who will be remem 
bered as the Chaplain of the "Ontario Reformatory for Boys" 
here for several years as successor to the late Rev. Geo. Hal- 
len and who later became Rector of the Mohawk Indian 
Church at Deseronto where he died in 1896. The present 
writer was privileged to inspect this telescope at the Parson 
age, Deseronto, in 1890. 



PIONEER PAPERS 133 



After his wife s death Capt Anderson moved to Port 
Hope with his daughters, where among other activities he be 
came a member of the Y.M..CA. in 1871 at the ripe age of 92 
years. The writer had the pleasure of visiting him and con 
versing with him at Port Hope in 1872 and found him remark 
ably bright, his faculties apparently intact, often playfully 
referring to himself as the "youngest member" of the Y.M.C. 
A. He died in 1875 at the venerable age of 96 years and 4 
months. He is to be distinguished from Capt. Charles Ander 
son, who was also an Indian Agent, resident at Rice Lake 
during the thirties. 

Rev. Peter Tones, the Indian missionary, paid his first visit 
to Penetanguishene in the middle of July, 1829, accompanied 
by eight persons, among them the famed John Sunday, after 
having descended by the arduous route of the Severn River 
in canoes. They first reached the encampment of the Mat- 
chedash Indians, probably at Present Island, headed by Chief 
John Assance of treaty fame, where they found seven camps 
and about 200 souls among them, a white man and his family 
living there, a blacksmith who had been sent by Sir John 
Colborne to work for the Indians. Mr. Jones says the dis 
tance was about ten miles to Penetanguishene, to which place 
they proceeded next day, accompanied by Chief Assance, 
and where they spent the three following days, exhorting the 
pagans and securing converts. The band numbered two 
hundred souls and after leaving Jas. Currie, a young Scotch 
man, as missionary, and David Sawyer as Indian interpreter, 
with a school numbering between fifty and sixty scholars, old 
and young, the company hoisted blanket sails and sped out 
of Penetanguishene Bay on their way towards Saugeen. 

In June, 1830, Rev. Peter Jones was again present at the 
annual distribution, accompanied by David Sawyer, John 
Sunday and other Indian missionaries. This time rivals, ap 
parently to his annoyance, came upon the scene. Rev. Mr. 
Archibald, Anglican clergyman, with Mr. Robinson as Inter 
preter, was sent here by the Governor and Lord Bishop of 
Quebec, as missionary to the Matchedash Indians and Mr. 
Hamilton was to be the schoolmaster. They did not remain 
long as we have no further account of their labors. James 
Currie and John Sunday were continued as missionaries to 
the Indiana. The conversion of Chief John Assance, whom 
Mr. Jones considers a man of thought and understanding, was 
an episode with a spice of romance, described in an interest- 



134 PIONEER PAPERS 



ing manner in the published Journal of Rev. Peter Jones, (To 
ronto, i860). When the Matchedash Chief who had three 
wives, "all dree broders," as he called them in broken Eng 
lish, was asked what he would do, replied "I have embraced 
Christianity and am willing to do as you say." So he agreed 
to keep the first and release two of his wives and support 
their children. The discarded wives agreed likewise, saying 
they wished to serve the Great Spirit. Chief Ke-ne-wah-se- 
noo, a brother of Chief Yellowhead, had two wives and as 
he wished to be enrolled with the Christians, he left the 
choice with the last wife whom he discarded agreeably to 
her decision. (Rev. Peter Jones Journal, pp. 151-2). Chief 
John Assance was one of the Signatories to the Penetangui- 
shene surrender of 1798, and grandfather of the late David 
Assance of Christian Island. He fell from his canoe while 
intoxicated, and was drowned in three feet of water near 
Penetanguishene in 1847. 

The next year, 1831, Rev. Peter Jones spent mostly trav 
elling and lecturing in the U.S., securing funds in aid of Can 
adian Indian missions. His visit here in 1832 has been re 
counted in previous pages. His last visit in 1833 at the an 
nual distribution of presents was via Mackinaw, Sault Ste. 
Marie and Maniloulin embarking at Buffalo on the Steamer 
"Henry Clay." 



CHAPTER XVI. 
DRUMMOND ISLAND AND EARLY STEAMBOATS. 

Drummond Island, to which frequent references have 
been made, is situated in the northern part of Lake Huron 
and was formerly Canadian territory to which the British 
forces under Col. Robt. McDouall retired, when on July l8th, 
1815, Mackinaw was restored to the Americans, after the War 
of 1812-15. It forms therefore a very interesting connecting 
link between Mackinac and Penetanguishene, with both of 
which, it was at various times intimately connected. The Is 
land was purchased by the British military authorities from 
the Potaganassee Indians on the ratification of peace in 1815. 
(See Canadian Archives for 1896, p. 89; also 1898, pp. 234-35)- 
The Potaganassee was a tribe speaking a dialect of the Pot- 
tawattahmies who formerly roamed the northern and western 
shores of Lake Michigan. Hon. Thos. Ridout, sometime 
Surveyor-General of Canada, met a Pottawattamie chief as 



PIONEER PAPERS 135 



far south as the Ohio River, during his captivity with the 
Shawnese in 1788. (See Lady Edgar s "Ten Years of Upper 
Canada," p. 344). 

The first building erected on the Island for the Indian De 
partment was christened "Pottawattamie Hall," after the ori 
ginal proprietors, evidently a variant of Potaganassee with 
perhaps a wider application and identical with the bands 
which Sir John Colborne met at this Garrison in 1833, after 
the Black Hawk War. 

Drummond Island, then a wilderness, not a stick cut, se 
lected for the new post, was named in honor of Sir Gordon 
Drummond, the hero of Lundy s Lane, who became Adminis 
trator and Commander of the British forces in succession to 
Sir Geo. Prevost in Canada, 1814-16. Sir Gordon was born 
at Quebec in 1771, son of Colin Drummond, Deputy Pay 
master-General in the days of the Revolution. He served in 
Holland and Minorca and with Sir Ralph Abercrombie in 
Egypt in 1801, was sent to Canada by the Duke of York in 
1813, commanded at Oswego, Fort Erie and Lundy s Lane 
where he was severely wounded. Drummondville, the town 
erected on the historic site of the battlefield near Niagara 
Falls, and Drummond township, Lanark County, were also 
named in his honor. He died in London in 1854 a t the age 
of 83 years. The ill-fated Lieut-Col. W. Drummond was a 
cousin and the son of a Scottish gentleman born at Keltic, 
Perthshire, in Scotland, who served in the West Indies and 
at Surinam, was badly wounded at Sacket s Harbor and was 
killed by the premature explosion of a mine while leading 
his men to the attack at Fort Erie in Aug., 1814. 

In 1821 Lord Dalhousie, accompanied by Lieut-Col. 
Cockburn, Deputy Quartermaster-General of the forces, made 
a tour of inspection of the western lakes and rivers and in 
recording their observations gave the first hint of the pros 
pective cession of Drummond Island and the removal of the 
post. Proceeding in their course from the head of St. Clair 
River to Drummond Island direct, thence threading the intri 
cate waterways of the north shore of Lake Huron. Col. Cock- 
burn, when desciibing its position and advantages says : 
"Portloche Harbor, in the event of Drummond Island being 
given up, is intended as the post to be occupied in its place." 
(Canadian Archives, 1897, p. 75). This intention, however, 
was never fulfilled as subsequent events proved. 

After a lapse of seven years, Commodore Barrie, Navy 



136 PIONEER PAPERS 



Commissioner and Commander at Kingston, visited Toronto 
in H.M. Schooner Cockburn in 1828 to proceed by land to 
Lake Simcoe, and thence, states the "Loyalist." of June 7th, 
on a tour of inspection at the several naval depots of the 
lakes. He visited the naval station and dock-yards here, 
sailed to Drummond Island in the sloop "Bullfrog," and the 
removal followed, as Sir James Kempt,then Governor-General, 
in his despatch to Murray, says in reference to Drummond 
Island : the troops, commissariat, stores, etc., were removed 
on Nov. I4th to Penetanguishene where Commodore Barrie 
has afforded them temporary accommodation. (See Archives, 
1898, pp. 553-4). The transference of officials and important 
personages, with the subsequent migration of the Voyageurs 
and others have been already related in a previous work. 
Simcoe s County town perpetuates the name of Commodore 
Barrie who probably sojourned over night at the prospective 
town site on his way through. 

Mrs. Jamieson in "Winter Studies and Summer Rambles" 
expresses wonder at the surrender of Drummond Island, hav 
ing visited its shores and doubtless appreciated the absurd 
position of the boundary channels, and mentions a steamer 
on Lake St. Clair, in which she no doubt made part of her 
trip, built at Penetanguishene for the Goderich and St. Jos 
eph s Island route, probably meant for Penetanguishene and 
Sault Ste. Marie, which proved a failure. This is likely a 
reference to the steamer "Penetanguishene," built here by 
Mitchell & Thompson about four years previously and ac 
counts for her whereabouts. She was the first steamer built 
by private enterprise, although the gunboat "Bee" had been 
built some ten years previously but by the naval authorities. 
When Chas. Rankin, surveyor of part of Penetanguishene, 
set out to survey the Township of Nottawasaga in 1833, ac 
cording to his diary, Commissary Wickens of the Garrison 
furnished pork and flour for the journey. It is also recorded 
elsewhere that in the same year, 1833, the schooner "Tecum- 
seh" sailed into Penetanguishene with a load of provisions, 
probably supplies for the same purpose. This is the last 
account we have of the marine activities of the old gun boat 
whose wreck lies at the bottom of the harbor, although her 
hulk rode at anchor till 1847. 

Of the early steamers making this a regular port of call, 
the "Penetanguishene" has priority in time. It is claimed the 
"Duchess of Kalloola" operated the route from here to Owen 
Sound and Sault Ste. Marie, and during one of her trips Sur- 



PIONEER PAPERS 137 



geon Mitchell, who died of Asiatic cholera in the old Mitchell 
mansion, caught the infection, it is supposed, from this vessel 
while on his way from Manitoulin, a passenger having died 
on the steamer from this same disease sometime previously. 
This must be a mistake as Surgeon Mitchell died in 1830 and 
Mr. Jas. Darling of the Post Office says the"Kalloola"was built 
about 1840, either at Port Severn or Sturgeon Bay. The ref 
erence may have been to Dr. George Mitchell, second son of 
Surgeon Mitchell, who died in 1842. Another account says 
the "Kalloola was built in 1846 at Sturgeon Bay which about 
that date was aspiring to be the terminus of the Coldwater 
Portage as Port Powell. Mr. Fuller, father of the late Mrs. 
John Gill of Coldwater, built a hotel there and for a time 
steamers and vessels plying between various points on Geor 
gian Bay from here to Sault Ste. Marie, made Sturgeon Bay 
their port of arrival and departure. 

The steamer "Sir Francis Gore," named in honor of Up 
per Canada s former Lieut-Governor, was among the earliest 
of the steamers making this a regular port of call. The first 
commander was Capt. John Robinson, brother-in-law of 
Issuer Smith and uncle to the late Mrs. John Smith of Mid 
land. His successor was Capt Peck who was still in com 
mand when the late Mrs. John Devine came from Owen Sound 
to Penetanguishene in 1847. Her next commander was Capt. 
Fred. Charles Fraser, R.N., father of Mr. Fred. Fraser, late 
Fishery Inspector of Victoria Harbor and brother-in-law to 
the well known John Brissette and to Mrs. Geo. Dube, Capt. 
Fraser having married Miss Adele Brissete whose grandmoth 
er was a Cree, Capt. Fraser, who with his family occupied 
a rough-cast, double house built by Toussant Boucher, a tin 
smith, on the corner where Dr. P. H. Spohn s residence now 
stands, was formerly engaged in the naval service here, in 
connection with the steamer "Mohawk." St. James register 
contains the records of the baptisms of three sons and one 
daeghter of Capt. Fraser and his wife extending through the 
years 1847 to 1853, which probably indicates about the time 
of severing his connection with the steamer "Gore and the 
duration of his service. 

The steamer "Ploughboy" sailed into this port for several 
years through the sixties and is remembered still by some of 
the older residents, as also the steamers "Gore" and "Kalloo 
la." The "Ploughboy" recalls the murder of Mr. W. Gibbard, 
Land Surveyor, on board during her trip from Sault Ste. 
Marie to Collingwood in 1863. (History of Simcoe County, 
Vol. I., p. 48). 



138 PIONEER PAPERS 



CHAPTER XVII. 
PENSIONERS AND THEIR HOUSES. 

Regarding the pensioners and their locations, we have 
been able to gather some further particulars, and are compel 
led to revise some of our previous statements. Those who 
accepted the Government s offer were expected to enlist for 
four years as enrolled pensioners after which thev were to 
retire receiving in payment ten acres of land with a comfort 
able log cottage thereon, and an allotment of land outside the 
"Lines" in the Ordnance Reserve, as was stated, which was 
only partially correct. It is true that the Government provid 
ed material and erected the houses by contract, but the cost 
was defrayed by instalments deducted from pensions due 
each year. This applied only to the enrolled pensioners. 
They were ranged on each side forming what was long known 
as the "Lines" (now Church St.), though two of the cottages 
were on Broad St. leading to the bay, of which no trace re 
mains. The pensioners though unaccustomed to the use of 
the axe and the hardships incident to bush life, succeeded in 
clearing their small farms on each side of the "Lines" from 
the Garrison grounds to Yeo St. with the exception of the 
Church (St. James) reservation and an occasional spot too 
heavily timbered, such as the Dennis Dinney location the 
site of the Markland residence where stood the forest of large 
trees to a late date. The "handsome cottages on the hill-side," 
referred to in Mrs. Jamieson s description, were more than 
likely the Soldiers log houses which decorated even the 
brow of the high bank on the east side of Church St., all 
traces of which are now obliterated except the depressions 
for the cellars. 

It is of more than passing interest when it is recalled 
that the broad plateau in rear of these cottages, including the 
sites of the gravel pit, the water tank and the extended plain 
beyond dedicated to the golf links, produced at one time 
crops of the finest wheat, which the pensioners and their 
wives reaped with the sickle with toil and patience and then 
laboriously thrashed out with the flail, after which they took 
it to the mill and exchanged it for a very indifferent flour, to 
their keen disappointment and chagrin. Some of the later 
arrivals tell how the veterans often gathered in the evenings 



PIONEER PAPERS 139 



at one of their neighbors, and with a vehemence born of 
fancied injustice, gave vent to their grievances, discussed 
their difficulties in no measured terms, and expressed their 
disgust in language forcible, but unprintable. We are enabl 
ed to present the names of practically all the original occup 
ants of the military cottages on each side of the "Lines," also 
the locations of the majority of them, although these may re 
quire revision later. The following is the list of pensioners 
names, also the dwellings still preserved : 



140 



PIONEER PAPERS 



WEST 



Quarter-Master-Sergt. David 

Burke 

P. Mullen 

J. O Meara 

W. Maloney 

Dennis Delaney 

John Delaney 

Patrick Kilraine 

Schoolmaster John Irving 

Gordon s Store 



Lady Colborne or Broad St. 



Bernard Shean 

(Still occupied). J. Carver 

Wm. Rankin 

Benj. Tulley 

Corp. & Bugler, John Smith 

Robt. Stalker 

John Oxley 

B. McMullen 

James Welsh 



St. James Church 
Grounds and Shed 



Sergt. Thos. Landrigan 

John Dumars 

Dennis Dee 

(Still occupied), Jno. Madden 

Peter McCarthy 

(Still standing), M. Reardon 

Jas. Utteridge 

Dennis Hurley 



Don Street 



B. Morgan 
J. Cotter 

Alexander Watts 
Teuton s corner 



H 
n> 



3 

n> 





cr 



"1 

a 
n 



EAST 



John Kenney, (still occupied). 



School Allotment 

No. 7 Tay (North Ward) 



Broad Street 



Wm. Allen, Sergt-Major 

Bartholemew Finn 

Wm. Rankin 

James Oxley 

John Byrnes, Sergeant 

James Mercer 

Dominick O Donnell 

Thos. Symmonds 

Peter O Reilley, (occupied) 

J. Sheffcote 

M. Quinn 



Oxford St. 



St. James Church 

Allotment 



Cambridge St. 



James McCaughey 

John Connelley, (occupied) 

James McCarthey 

Joseph Morton 

John Boyle 

Wm. Baker 

Patrick Lynch, Sergeant 

Robt. Walker 



Don Street 



J. Byrnes, Sergeant 
E. Bignall 



Yeo Street 



Yeo Street 



PIONEER PAPERS 141 



Three of the families, viz. : J. O Meara, W. Maloney and 
Sergeant J. Byrnes did not remain very long, but. removed to 
Barrie, where some of their descendants still live. The Byrnes 
family who are buried in St. James Cemetery, and the first of 
whom was so long Sexton of the church, have the same names 
and held a like office in the Army as the family who moved 
to Barrie, but are not identical, the former being Protestant 
while the latter were Roman Catholic. Of the cottages and 
allotments granted formerly to the soldiers, only the Carver, 
Reardon, Landrigan, Finn, Dee, Madden and Hurley home 
steads are owned by the descendants of the original grantees. 
Sergeant David Burke whose daughter Anne was the wife of 
the late A. A. Thompson was the father of the late well- 
known Capt. Frank Burke of this town and of the late Capt. 
David Burke of Midland, and grandfather of the present 
Burke families, among whom are three Captains of the marine. 
Corp. John Smith, Bugler, taught school in the stone Barracks 
and was the father of the late Mrs. Landrigan and Andy 
Smith and of the late James Smith of Brockville and grand 
father of the presem Mr. Jas. Landrigan. He had a wooden 
leg. Sergt. Thos. Landrigan was Commissary Assistant and 
had charge of the Naval Depot (old red store) and supplies 
for several years. James McCarthy was a stone-cutter and 
shaped many of the blocks for the Barracks and Officers 
Quarters on each of which every workman carved his own 
initials. Sergt.-Major Wm. Allen came in 1847 and is the 
grandfather of the numerous Allen families resident here. 
James McCaughey came in 1839 an d his wife who is still liv 
ing at the venerable age of 95 years is quite alert, resides on 
the ordnance reserve near St. Andrew s Lake, on the lot re 
ceived in exchange for the soldiers allotment on the "Lines" 
corner of Cambridge St. opposite St. James sixty years ago 
and now occupied by Mr. James Jewett. She is the last sur 
vivor of the original old "Lines" pensioners. Of the late 
Officers of the Establishment whose remains rest in St. Tames 
Cemetery David Ross Lee was Deputy Assistant Commissary 
General in 1849, and Alfred Fisher Eggar, Purser on H.M. 
Steamer "Minos" in 1847 ; McCaughey is known as "Caughey" 
and McCarthy as "Carry." 



142 PIONEER PAPERS 



CHAPTER XVIII. 
SOME ADDITIONAL FAMILIES. 

Soon after the settlement of the pensioners in 1832, num 
erous families were attracted to the location who subsequent 
ly became more or less prominently identified with the busi 
ness interests of the embryo town, and among them was the 
late Geo. Copeland, Sr., who came in 1833. Mr. Copeland 
was born in Lincolnshire, Eng., and migrated to Van Wert, 
Ohio, with his grandfather and uncles when eleven years of 
age, his father having died while he was an infant. He was 
bound an apprentice to one of his uncles in the milling busi 
ness, and his uncle being inclined to dissipation, he ran away 
and became a sailor on Lake Ontario during the memorable 
cholera year 1832 in which he underwent many harrowing 
experiences, having frequently to land at ports on the way to 
bury those who died on the vessel as well as those who died 
on shore, notably at Bronte near Hamilton, where in one case 
the father and daughter had died and the remainder of the 
family were ill, and all the neighbors, so that none were able 
to perform the burials. Mr. Copeland finally made his way 
to Beaverton where he married a Miss Westcott, and he used 
to relate with considerable glee, that he had not money suf 
ficient to pay for his wedding suit. He came to Orillia and 
Coldwater where milling prospects were opening, thence to 
Penetanguishene where he purchased a saw mill and water 
power from Andrew Mitchell and later erected the old grist 
mill on the creek which still bears his name. The mill was 
built by John Gill, the machinery being almost entirely of 
wood except the run of stones, very little iron being used in 
the construction. Mr. Copeland occupied the identical log 
house built for Mr. Gill years before while engaged in build 
ing the saw mill for Ancjrew Mitchell and which house was 
Mr. Copeland s home till his original brick residence, the first 
brick house in Tiny, was built by Mr. Hark, very near the 
same spot. The only approach to his mill at that time was 
through a trail near the brow of the hill, Robert Street being 
then an impassable swamp. The late Robert Hark was the 
first brick-layer and mason brought to the Garrison to do 
work for the Government. The old mill, for a time the only 
grist mill this side of Holland Landing, except the Indian 



PIONEER PAPERS 143 



Mill at Coldwater, continued in operation till the Huron Mills 
were erected by Mr. Copeland on the site of the defunct glass 
factory near the railway station. Later Mr. Copeland erect 
ed the Flos Roller Mills at Elmvale. He also built the 
Georgian Bay Hotel block and inaugurated the Summer Hotel. 
He took an active part in forwarding many public enterprises 
connected with the town. Watson Copeland of Wyebridge 
was a son and the late Mrs. Graham of Barrie, Mrs. Arksey 
of Wyebridge and Mrs. W. F. H. Thompson, Penetangui- 
shene, (all deceased), also Mrs. James Darling of Penetangui- 
shene and Mrs. Colwell of Toronto, are daughters. Mr. Cope- 
land s second wife was Miss Johnson of Hillsdale. George 
Copeland of the Huron Mills, ex-Mayor, and Charles Cope- 
land of the Flos Mills, Elmvale, are sons, and Mrs. Colwell 
of Toronto and the late Mrs. Emerick were twin daughters. 
Mr. Copeland died in 1890, aged 75 years, and Mrs. Copeland 
died in 1914. There was a Geo. Copeland, Jr., a nephew, who 
came from Van Wert, Ohio, about the time of the American 
Civil War, and later returned to the U.S. 

Carolus Gendron was born at Newmarket in 1827 and 
came here when eleven years of age. His mother had been 
a Miss Algeo, daughter of a trader of Italian descent, who 
settled on Penetanguishene Bay in the early days and marri 
ed an Indian woman. He was probably of the family of 
Algeos who settled in West Gwillimbury in the early twenties. 
Mr. Gendron s father was Charles, half brother of Michel 
Gendron, who built the first tannery and was born in Quebec 
of French parentage. Mr. Gendron claims that he has thus 
French, Italian and Indian blood in his veins. He learned the 
cooper s trade and was handy as carpenter and mill-wright 
and helped to build the old Gendron tannery, the old lock-up 
and Copeland s grist mill and various pioneer buildings in 
the town. He established the first and only cooper shop on 
the corner of Main and Brock Streets where Mr. Day s resi 
dence now stands, and for many years did a cooperage busi 
ness for a wide extent of country. His shop in later years 
became noted as a repository of odds and ends, literally from 
the four corners of the earth and if it could have been pre 
served would have formed an attraction fit to compete with 
Dickens famous "Curiosity Shop of old London. The family 
with some neighbors, in coming here, started from Holland 
Landing in a canoe and crossed Lake Simcoe to the Cold- 
water Portage ; thence from Coldwater to the Garrison in 
batteaux. A large family of sons and daughters are well- 
known residents of the town. 



144 PIONEER PAPERS 



Michel Gendron was born at St. Martin s, Quebec, settled 
at Smith s Falls and came here about 1835, the year in which 
Bishop Goulin, Suffragan Bishop of Kingston, and Assistant 
to Archbishop Macdonnell, paid his pastoral visit to the little 
pioneer R. C. Church and flock in this rising settlement. He 
had learned the business of shoemaking and that of tanner 
and currier at Lyn, near Brockyille, working at the two 
branches alternately during the summer and winter seasons. 
When he came here he embarked in shoemaking, but found 
it difficult to procure the raw material to ply his trade. In 
this dilemma he built the first tannery, an unpretentious log 
strructure at the head of the bay, on a small creek running 
into the bay fronting John Robb s, formerly the Mitchell, 
homestead. This solitary log hut, the modest forerunner of 
present elaborate structures, stood as a landmark for many 
years, but no trace now remains. This pioneer industry, op 
erated upon the crude system cf shares, served its day and 
supplied the needs of a laige extent of surrounding country, 
but expanding trade and an increasing population induced 
Mr. Gendron to build in a more central location. The second 
tannery which was situated on the west side of Main St. near 
the round-house became an important and leading industry 
of the town in succeeding years and is well remembered still 
by many of the inhabitants. The old log police station and 
lock-up flourished in its palmy days beside the tannery on 
the same lot. Not a vestige of either remains. Michel Gen 
dron, Sr., married Miss Judson of Brockville, a direct descend 
ant of the famous missionary Dr. Judson, who was a native of 
Connecticut, U.S. Of this union were born a large family of 
sons and daughters, all natives of this town except the eldest 
son, C. G. Gendron, of the Gendron Shoe Pack firm, who was 
born at Smith s Falls. The other sons are Sidney of Alberta, 
so long connected with the Singer Sewing Machine Co.; Ed- 
mond of the Gendron Shoe Pack firm and ex-Councillor, 
Michel, Jr., hardware merchant, Vincent and Anthony. The 
daughters are Mrs. W. J. Martin, wife of the Division Court 
Clerk, and Mrs. S. Whalen, both of this town. Another 
daughter died in early womanhood some years since. The 
wholesale and retail establishment of the Gendron Shoe Pack 
Co., which sends its products to distant points in the British 
Empire, is a development of the trade of the old tannery, the 
business having descended from father to sons. Michel 
Gendron, Sr., died in September, 1874, and Mrs. Gendron died 
in 1896. 



PIONEER PAPERS 145 



James Wright, father of the Wright family, built the old 
butcher shop and residence next to the Simpson corner, one 
of the pioneer buildings on Water Street, where he began a 
butchering business in the early forties. Mr. Wright was 
born at Doncaster, below Sheffield, the great hardware em 
porium, Yorkshire, Eng., in 1817, and came to Canada when 
about eight years of age, locating near Orillia, thence coming 
to Penetanguishene in 1839 or 4, where he engaged for a 
time in lumbering, clearing and other pioneer work, and be 
came connected with the "Incorporated Militia. He returned 
to Orillia in 1844 and married the same year Miss Anne Wil 
liams who was born in Holywell, Wales, and who came to 
Canada when 14 years of age and taught school at Orillia 
(which was then known as Newtown), till she married. They 
moved to Penetanguishene in 1846. Of this union there were 
five sons and four daughters, viz. : John, of Oklahoma, ranch 
er, who died Sept., 1914, aged 66 years; James E., stocker, 
Oklahoma ; Charles E., of this town ; Arthur, Ozark Mts., 
Southern Missouri ; and Herman, of Barrie, the late Mrs. Dill, 
wife of W. J. Dill of the P.O. department, the late Mrs- Field 
of Barrie, Mrs. Stevenson, wife of Editor Stevenson of the 
New Liskeard "Speaker. and Mrs. Thompson of Parry Sound, 
wife of the late James Thompson who was a son of Col. Wm. 
Thompson and grandson of Adjutant Keating. Mrs. Thomas 
Hornsby is thus a great granddaughter of Adjutant Keating. 
Charles E. succeeded his father in the butchering business 
and cattle buying and carried on an extensive trade for sev 
eral years. He was active in municipal affairs, having been 
Reeve of the town and was elected Warden of Simcoe County 
in 1901. James Wright, Sr., did a large business during his 
day, owned and cleared the farms on both sides of the road 
north of Firth s Corners and known as Wright s Hill, also the 
homestead near Wyebridge, so long occupied by his son Her 
man. James Wright, Sr., died May 25th, 1880, aged 62 years 
and 3 months. Mrs. Wright survived her husband till 1901, 
dying June 2ist of that year at the venerable age of 80 years. 

Capt. William Hoar, R.N-, was born in Devonshire, Eng., 
1809, entered the Navy as midshipman at 16 and served 20 
years on board H.M. Brigs "Helicon," "Royalist, "Talavera" 
and "Thunderer respectively, on the latter of which he was 
for a time quartermaster. He received his discharge and 
came to Penetanguishene in 1844 and served on the govern 
ment steamer "Mohawk" while stationed here. He visited 
all the British naval stations on the globe on H.M.S. "Brittan- 



146 PIONEER PAPERS 



ia," 124 guns, was honored with three medals with clasps for 
bravery in various actions, among them the capture of Ste. 
Jean d Acre under Admiral Napier in 1841 during the Syrian 
War. At a critical period during the action some officers 
were proceeding to the Battleship, when it was discovered 
some article had been forgotten on shore. Capt. Hoar leaped 
overboard and swam back, returning safely with the prize 
amid a hail of bullets. He visited many of the Biblical scenes 
in the Holy Land and was with the expedition which trans 
ferred Napoleon s remains from St. Helena to France in 1840, 
saw Napoleon s grave and drank from the cup he had used. 
At Malta he joined the order of Free Masons of the Knights 
of St. John. He was appointed light-keeper at Christian 
Island through the influence of Hon. W. B. Robinson, which 
position he held for 18 years, and was thus in Government 
service nearly 40 years. On coming to Canada he invested 
in considerable real estate and at one time owned the block 
embracing the railway freight sheds, round-house and station, 
his residence being the little log house near where the foun 
tain now stands and which is still recalled by many residents, 
but which was all expropriated by the railway authorities, 
very much against his will. He spent a small fortune con 
testing the case at law. He also purchased an estate across 
the bay, where he afterwards built his private residence, call 
ing it after the scene of the historic battle in which he had 
been engaged, St. Jean d Acre, now the property of Mr. Lynn, 
his son-in-law. Near his residence he built a private Free 
Massons Hall, on each side of which was placed a vault for 
the remains of himself and wife. Methodical to the last, he 
had his coffin prepared several years previous to his death. 
We are informed one or two sessions of the local Masonic 
lodge were held in his Lodge in deference to the. wish of the 
old veteran, and his remains deposited in the vault according 
to his will, but after a season they were transferred to St. 
James Cemetery. He died in 1888, aged 79 years. His wife 
was Miss Jane Spetigue, a native of Plymouth, who died in 
1904 at the advanced age of 94 years. He left as heir-looms 
to his descendants a number of naval relics and foreign 
curios, among them, the tattered remnants of an old flag (a 
British Standard), once presented, according to the written 
legend attached to it, by King George III. to Chief Thayenda- 
nagea, and now in possession of the Lynn family of St. Jean 
d Acre. Mr. John Hoar who succeeded him as light-keeper 
at Christian Island, and Mr. Thos. Hoar, manager at Sans 
Souci, are sons. A daughter married Capt. Geo. Huff who 




REV. GEORGE HALLEN 

(1794-1882) 

At the age of 74 

BY COURTESY OF Miss RADKNIII-RST, BARRIK 



PIONEER PAPERS 147 



was Commander of the steamer "Georgina" here in 1881 and 
who afterwards went to the Pacific Coast and became, in 
1895-7, a member of the seventh B.C. Legislature for Cowichan. 
His daughter became the wife of Thos. Patterson, light-keeper 
and operator at Cape Beale on the west coast of Vancouver 
Isl., B.C. Mrs. Patterson will be remembered as the heroine 
in connection with the wreck of the steamer "Colona in 1906. 
She walked five miles in a hurricane over rock and through 
muskeg and notified the authorities, who were thereby enabl 
ed to go to the rescue of the wrecked crew in time. The crew 
had clung to the wreck for 20 hours. The owners of Seattle 
presented her with a cheque for $150 which was increased by 
others interested to over $200 and the Local Council of Wo 
men presented her with a valuable service of silver plate as 
a Christmas gift. Mrs. Patterson was twice a heroine, for 
she had previously been the means of saving many of the 
passengers and crew of the steamer "Valencia" wrecked on 
the same coast by remaining an entire day and night at her 
post as telegraph operator and giving aid to sufferers from 
the wreck in various ways, Mrs. Patterson, whose name is 
cherished on the Pacific Coast as a second Grace Darling, 
was born in Penetanguishene and was a granddaughter of the 
late Capt. Wm. Hoar. 

Louis Corbiere was the pioneer tinsmith and came here 
in 1836. He built the large frame shop and dwelling which 
formerly stood on the corner now occupied by the Arcade 
Block and owned the entire square reaching to Water Street, 
planted with fruit trees, mainly apples, surrounded by a high 
fence of cedar pickets. He was the father of David Corbiere 
and grandfather of the present Corbiere families. A few 
residents still remember the old tinshop and dwelling and 
the high picket fence. 

THE HALLEN FAMILY. 

Rev. George Hallen, Chaplain to the forces here, and 
founder and first rector of St. James Church, was born at 
Rushock, Worcestershire, Eng., in I79-|. In due course he 
entered at Oxford and obtained his university degree return 
ing to Rushock where he married and was in charge of a 
parish for several years till 1835. Lured by the prospect of 
acquiring land and opportunities for preferment, he emigrat 
ed in that year with his family to Canada, embarking on the 
ship "Albion" in the month of May and arriving at his desti 
nation, Fairvalley, in the wilderness of Medonte, in Novem- 



148 PIONEER PAPERS 



ber. He began pioneer life in real earnest, having for his 
home only a primitive log cabin built by a previous settler, 
and a small clearing, to which he gave the name of Rushock 
after his former home in England- In time as settlement 
progressed a small but neat church was built, called St. 
George s, which became the nucleus of an Anglican congre 
gation. Capt. Elmes Steele of the Royal Navy had preceded 
the Hallen family in the same neighborhood some three years, 
and he probably had much to do in getting the church under 
way. The church is now dismantled and nothing remains to 
mark the site except slight traces of the foundation. The late 
J. C. Steele, Division Court Clerk at Coldwater, in an unpub 
lished manuscript dated Aug., 1898, states that he drove out 
to Fairvalley and visited the spot where his father, Capt. 
Steele first pitched his tent sixty-six years before. He then 
drove to the old church and was shocked to find the seats 
taken down, the flooring torn up and the church being de 
molished. He recalled vivid memories of the days of Lanj; 
Syne when his late father and such men as Sergeant Baillie, 
Wm. George Walker and many others who long since passed 
away, worshipped there. The church was in a fine state of 
preservation, with a first-class stone foundation and with 
slight cost for repairs would have stood another half century, 
a monument of pioneer days. He turned away in sorrow that 
people have so little respect for the past. Mr. Steele consid 
ered it one of the oldest, if not the oldest church in Simcoe 
County, as it was built while the Anglican congregation slill 
worshipped in the Indian School Room in Orillia which was 
some time after the year 1832. However, Mr. Hallen was not 
there very long before Capt. Moberly, R.N. at Penetangui- 
shene found him out as already mentioned, and succeeded in 
getting him appointed as chaplain to the forces at the Garri 
son. 



St. George s register opens in 1835 on the l8th June, when 
on board the ship "Albion" off Long Island, he baptized 
"Thos. Albion, son of George and Sarah Porter," this being 
the first entry marked No. I, page I. The next entry (No. 2) 
records the marriage of John Robertson of Toronto and Cath 
arine Smith, at Roche s Point (now Keswick) on Lake Simcoe, 
by License, on Nov. 3rd, 1835. He was then probably about 
to start the voyage across Lake Simcoe on his journey to 
Rushock in Medonte. Fancy fails to picture what such a 
journey meant over 80 years ago, through" a trackless wilder 
ness most of the way without railway or steam navigation 



PIONEER PAPERS 149 



and even lacking many of the ordinary needs of civilization. 
Entry No. 3 records the baptism at Rushock of Caroline Jane 
Bywater, dated 7th Nov., 1835, the beginning of his clerical 
duties in his wilderness home after an interval of but 4 days. 
No. 5 records the celebration of a marriage at "Clayfields," 
Coldwater, of Jane, daughter of Capt. T. G. Anderson and A. 
Robertson. But calls begin to multiply and he soon finds 
himself the centre of a large mission field. The earliest men 
tion of the Barracks is in 1838 when H. A. Jeffs of the Mili 
tary Road is baptized there, although in Tune of the same 
year the baptism of Clarence Moberly in the church at Pene- 
tanguishene is recorded at the hands of Rev. Frederick Aug 
ustus O Meara, travelling missionary, which shows that St. 
James church was either finished or well under way. The 
first baptism in St. James by Mr. Hallen himself seems to 
have been No. 91 which records the baptism of William, son 
of Robt. and Mary Ann Pearson, residing at the Garrison, 
Apr. I9th, 1840. As of peculiar interest and indicating the 
cosmopolitan character and difficulties of his expanding lab 
ors, we may note No. 95 which records the marriage of Nawk- 
awnaytunk (Isaac Yellowhead) and Shawpuntagahponoquay 
(Mary John) of Rama and Coldwater on May I9th, 1840, the 
banns having been published by Rev. Sylvester Hurlburt, 
Wesleyan missionary. The personage recorded here was 
doubtless a son of Chief Yellowhead, the once famous Chief 
Musquakie. Entry No. 114 dated May l8th, 1840, records the 
marriage of John Humphrey Sumner Drinkwater of North- 
brook and Sarah Hallen, daughter of Rev. Geo. Hallen late 
of Rushock but now of Penetanguishene, fixing the time at 
which he became a permanent resident of the Garrison town, 
and recalling his primitive means of removal hither. 

From this time forward also the records of St. George s 
church become gradually merged into those of St. James Mil 
itary Church. He continued active mission work over a wide 
field, extending to Orillia, Shanty Bay, Barrie and other dist 
ant points, mostly on horseback, his only path often simply 
an Indian trail. He was also abundant in labors at home and 
is affectionately remembered by his parishioners and all de 
nominations for his unbounded zeal and impartial generosity 
in charitable work. The last entry in St. James register by 
his hand is No. 939, recording the burial of Robt. Stalker in 
Aug., 1876, the father of our present townsman, Mr. Robert 
Stalker. 

Of the family of Rev. Geo. and Mrs. Hallen there were 



i5o PIONEER PAPERS 



six daughters and four sons. Three of the daughters died in 
their girlhood, Edith the eldest dying in England. While 
her remains were deposited atRushock in England, her heart 
was sacredly preserved and brought with them to Canada and 
deposited in St. James cemetery here. The other daughters 
were Sarah, Mrs. Drinkwater, previously mentioned ; Agnes, 
the late Mrs. Edmund H. Cole of Toronto and the late Mrs. 
Dr. Gilmore of Orillia, who has left us fortunately a valuable 
and only sketch of the old Stone Barracks. The sons were 
Skeeler, Preston, Richard and Edgar, the latter with his 
sister, Mrs. Gilmore, having died recently. The late Edgar 
Hallen was very active in church work often holding the 
office of Church Warden and frequently assisting with his 
father as lay reader and officiating at burials at distant points, 
especially at Victoria Hill ( Waverley) and the Junction School 
House. At his death he presented through Miss Radenhurst 
a silver pocket communion service, once the property of his 
father, to the Rev. N. A. F. Bourne, rector of St. James Church, 
as the proper custodian of the memento. Rev. Geo. Hallen 
passed to his reward, dying in Toronto, Sept. 3rd, 1882, aged 
89 years, his wife having predeceased him on the 30th Jan., 
1864, in her /oth year. Their remains rest side by side in St. 
James cemetery, with those of their children. The following 
is a translation of a bronze tablet in abbreviated Latin, which 
he prepared with the exception of the last paragraph record 
ing his death. It was later erected in the chancel of St. 
James Church, and I am indebted to the courtesy of the Rev. 
N. A. F. Bourne, the present rector, for the following trans 
lation : 

HALLEN MEMORIAL TABLET IN ST. JAMES CHURCH. 

In memory of Edith, daughter of George and Sarah Hallen, who was 
born on the 2lst day of October, 1832, and fell asleep in the Lord in her third 
year. The body is in England (at Rushock in the County of Worcester, laid 
near the Altar), her heart in this cemetery, her soul with the sanctified. 

In memory of Grace, daughter of George and Sarah Hallen, who was 
born on the 6th day of November, 1834, and fell asleep in the Lord on the 
25th day of December, A.D. 1837. 

In memory of Eleanor, daughter of George and Sarah Hallen, who was 
born on the 19th day of January, 1833, an d fell asleep in the Lord on the 26th 
day of May, A.D. 1846. 

MDCCCLXXVI. 

In honor of God and in memory of his highly esteemed wife this chancel 
was erected and decorated by George Hallen of this Parish, for many years 
Priest, et cetera, of the Church which he adorned. 

George Hallen, Priest, (unworthy) of the Holy Catholic (Anglican) 
Church, placed this brass tablet to preserve the memory of his dearly beloved 



r 




MRS. HALLEN 
(1794-1864) 

BY COURTESY OF Miss RADKXIU KM, BARRHC 



PIONEER PAPERS 151 



wife Sarah, who was born on the second day of October, 1794, and fell asleep 
in the Lord on the 30th day of January, 1864. Dear to her neighbors, dearer 
to her own and dear indeed beyond measure was she to me. 

In memory of George Hallen, A. B. Oxon, of this Parish for six and 
thirty years a most worthy Priest ; born in the County of Worcester in Eng 
land on the I5th day of February, 1794, and discharged the offices of a Priest 
for five and sixty years. He fell asleep in the Lord on the third day of Sept 
ember, 1882. His body lies in this cemetery, his soul is with the sanctified. 



CHAPTER XIX. 
ST. JAMES CHURCH AND CEMETERY. 

It will be noticed from the above copy of the Tablet, that 
the Chancel is a comparatively recent addition to St. James 
Church. There are two other tablets erected in the church 
besides those mentioned one to the memory of Mrs. (Dr.) 
Raikes, granddaughter of Capt. Moberly, and one to Rev. G. 
M. Kingston, a former rector of All Saints and St. James. 
From the Church Warden s minute book of the late Wm. 
Simpson who held the office for 2o years, we obtain a tabu 
lated list of the properties belonging to St. James Church and 
among them three richly embroidered cloths for the Altar 
and Communion table, superbly decorated with sacred mono 
grams, the gift of Dr. Moberly, Head Master of Winchester 
School, England, and brother of Capt. Moberly, R.N. ; a 
carpet for the Communion floor, the gift of Sir Harford- 
Brydges, and a richly woven pall cloth by W. Simpson. We 
also learn from the same source, that Sir Harford-Brydges 
initiated the Endowment Fund, since it is recorded that 
Churchwarden Simpson acknowledged the receipt of $16.00 
from Mr. Wm. Featherstonhaugh, Clerk of the Reformatory, 
in payment of 80 cedar trees cut by Capt. Kelly on Lot I, con. 
16, Tiny, the lot given by Sir Harford-Brydges for the benefit 
of the incumbent and his successors. The subject of endow 
ment was broached as early as 1853 and shares taken in the 
Barrie Building Society for this purpose when in 1856 invest 
ments were made in Lots 37 and 38, Fox St., and Lot 38, Peel 
St., which is probably the present site of All Saints Church. 
It is interesting to note that services were held for several 
years in the old Simpson residence on Water St. previous to 
the building of All Saints as the Warden s account shows 
several items for candles, benches, etc., for the town house. 
The old log parsonage on Fox St., Lots 37 and 38, near the 
site of V. Martin s private residence, was built in 1858 by H. 
H. Thompson and J. B. Sylvestre. An item in the Church 



152 PIONEER PAPERS 



Warden s account shows 74.17.6 (about $299.50) paid to H. 
H. Thompson for building the parsonage in Oct. of that year. 
A plan of the church pews submitted for 1848 allocates the 
three first pews on each side for the use of the military and 
naval worshippers, A gallery was erected by W. C. Bell, 
ship carpenter, over the entrance in 1848, but has since been 
removed. The driving-shed opposite was erected the same 
year by Mr. James Morrison, who acknowledges receipt of 
6.12.8 currency. The bell was purchased by subscription, 
Dr. R. C. Hore heading the list with $1.00. It was erected in 
1854 by Carpenter Champaigne. The first clerk and sexton 
was John Byrnes, commuted pensioner, up to 1850, when he 
was succeeded by Claude Robinson of the Military. John 
Byrnes having been the first clerk, appears to have been 
buried at the expense of St. James Church as the Warden 
charges himself with paying W. C. Bell for making his coffin, 
10 shillings, and one shilling for material for^a shroud and 
for making, etc. The pew rents were abolished in 1858. 

As already noted, Rev. Frederick Augustus O Meara, 
travelling missionary, performed the first baptism in St. 
James Church in 1838, his marriage in turn to be recorded 
not long after to Miss Dallas of Orillia. The venerable Dr. 
O Meara, the well remembered and eminent missionary of the 
earlier days and so long the incumbent of St. John s Church 
at Port Hope, father of Professor O Meara of Trinity College, 
Toronto, has left a cherished memory as a devoted mission 
ary and pillar of the Anglican Church. 

St. James had at various times visitors and assistants 
who labored with Mr. Hallen during his incumbency. Rev. 
W. F. S. Harper, rector of Bath, Ont., paid a fraternal visit to 
Mr. Hallen in 1845, and we learn from the record that he offi 
ciated on Feb. 9th at the funeral of Mary Ann, wife of Wm. 
Langdon, a seaman on board the Steamer "Minos." In 1845 
Rev. C. Ruttan was officiating minister from Aug. Ilth to 
Sept. I8th inclusive. On Nov. 2nd of the same year, Rev. 
John A. Mulock was officiating minister, and his records ex 
tend from No. 247 to No. 276 inclusive. Mr. Mulock was an 
uncle of Justice Mulock of the Supreme Court of Ontario. 
From Jany. 24th, 1865, till 1st Jany., 1866, Rev. Richard Sykes 
Forneri was assistant at St. James Church. He was the fath 
er of Rev. Mr. Forneri who became rector of Bath, and later 
erected the Anglican U. E. Loyalist Memorial Church at 
Adolphustown. Rev. J. Fletcher was next assistant in 1868. 
He was formerly for some time stationed in West Gwillim- 



PIONEER PAPERS 153 



bury. Rev. Mr. Flood was the last assistant who labored in 
the early /o s and is not to be confused with Rev. Wm. Flood 
of the Delaware tragedy of 1843 recounted in Bavin s "Irish 
man in Canada," pp. 306-7-8. 

Rev. Geo. Hallen occupied also the post of Protestant 
Chaplain to the Ontario Reformatory for Boys on its estab 
lishment soon after the withdrawal of the forces, among his 
earliest duties being the funeral of Edward Page, 12 years of 
age, at which he officiated, in Sept, i860, the first burial from 
the inmates of the Reformatory. He was succeeded in 1877 
by Rev. G. A. Anderson, incumbent of Wyebridge, (son of 
Capt. T. G. Anderson the well-known Indian Agent), and 
who later became rector of the Mohawk Indian Church at 
Deseronto where he died in 1907. His successor at the On 
tario Reformatory was Rev. Canon Lloyd, who in turn was 
succeeded by Rev. S. Card, who occupied the position until 
the Institution was closed in 1907. 

The first Roman Catholic Chaplain of the Reformatory 
was Rev. F. Kennedy who lost his life while heroically trying 
to rescue one of the inmates of the Reformatory who had 
fallen from a steamer into the bay. Rev. F. Kennedy was a 
son of Sergeant Kennedy, Barrack Master at the Garrison, 
who owned the first farm east between the Garrison grounds 
and Gordon s Point. His successors in the Reformatory at 
various times were Revs. Father E. Kiernan, Father J. Allaine, 
Father M. J. Jeffcott. Father J. F. .VlcBride, Father P. F. Mc- 
Cabe, Father L, Minehan, now of Toronto, Father Rae, and 
Father J. Gibbons, deceased. 

St. James Cemetery, with its eventful career, its cherish 
ed associations and memories its multitudes of silent occu 
pants, has become a noted landmark and claims more than 
passing attention. Time has left its impress on this vener 
able city of the dead. Within its precincts are gathered the 
remains of a concourse, civil, military and naval, of many 
nationalities. In these unnumbered graves lie the fallen 
hosts of the by-gone years an assemblage around which is 
centred much of the history of Penetanguishene and its en 
virons. Its forest of headstones, already crowding each other, 
record the simple story and proclaim the virtues of three 
successive generations. Mingled here and there with the 
monuments are nameless mounds without any tablet to mark 
the last resting place of those beneath, including some of the 
native Indian tribes. On entering the grave-yard and turning 
to the right close to the gateway are twelve nameless mounds 



154 PIONEER PAPERS 



in fair preservation under a spreading oak. So far we have 
been unable to trace any of the occupants of the mounds, 
which were thought to be filled by victims of some epidemic 
at the Ontario Reformatory for Boys, but this is a mistake. 
There is a tradition that they are the graves of soldiers from 
the Garrison, who died during the cholera epidemic of 1842-3. 

Opposite this group and the first on the left as you enter 
is another nameless grave with no tablet to mark its location 
or to identify the occupant. In it rest the remains of the late 
Mrs. Wallace, formerly Mrs. Johnston, who died in 1869. ae - 
85 yrs., so long mistress of the "Masonic Arms/ a direct de 
scendant of the Earls of Darnley, and whose romantic mar 
riage in London s Westminster Abbey has already been re 
counted. 

Turning to the right, and next to the Copeland family 
plot, is an extended plot with only two graves and a simple 
tablet marked "Tyne," with no other particulars. This was a 
military family in the 3d s, forgotten long since by the oldest 
residents. 

Then comes the allotment of the late Adjutant Keating. 
He died in Nov., I 49, but no monument commemorates his 
death or that of any of his family. The only shaft in the 
plot is a chaste Celtic cross of freestone inscribed "In memory 
of Emberly Hamilton, daughter of Francis and Charlotte 
Walbridge, 1907, (Dr. and Mrs. Walbridge of Midland). The 
plot is neatly kept, and the absence of any memorials to the 
founder of the family is probably due to the early removal of 
the surviving members of the family to distant lands over 
which the descendants have scattered, even to Honolulu in 
the Hawaiian Islands. The next in this series is the allotment 
of Capt. Hoar, R.N., the hero of St. Jean d Acre. 

Turning to the right, the visitor encounters two horizontal 
slabs, nearly overgrown with verdure, almost unique and the 
only two of the kind in the church-yard. On the first, in 
scribed in plain letters are the words, "Here lieth the body of 
Elizabeth Simpson, who departed this life in hopes of a better, 
on Sunday, Feby., 1831, ae. 46. This was the first wife of 
the late Wm. Simpson, Esq. As the church and cemetery 
were not consecrated till 1840, and as the first burial recorded 
is that of Wm. Wells of the I3th Light Dragoons in 1840, a 
little further on, the apparent inconsistency is explained by 
the fact that the remains of Mrs. Simpson were first buried 
behind the original store on the corner of Queen and Water 



PIONEER PAPERS 155 



Sts. and later removed to the cemetery. The other horizontal 
slab is that of Maria Jeffery, wife of Archibald Dunlop, who 
d. in 1856, ae. only 20 yrs. and 5 mos. She was the mother of 
the late Mrs. Chas. McGibbon who passed away in 1912. 
These two slabs are of native limestone, exact connterparts 
of the two slabs commemorating the deaths of the McGarratty 
brothers and Hannah McCabe in the Military cemetery on the 
hillside at the Asylum ground, (formerly the Garrison). The 
engravings are executed with much skill and are the work of 
one J. Gleason, a stone-cutter at the Garrison, who was en 
gaged in the erection of the Officers Quarters and who re 
moved to the U.S. some years ago. These are the only traces 
of his work remaining. He is remembered by several of the 
older residents. 

Further west is the grave of Edward Jeffery, father of the 
Jeffery family, who died in 1871 at the age of 54 years. Near 
by also is the grave of Lachlan Campbell who died in 1846, 
father of W. B. Hamilton s second wife. Not far away is the 
tomb of Surgeon Paul Darling, L.R.C.S.E., who died in 1849 
while surgeon to the Indian Department, Manitoulin. 

Close by we pass a marble slab inscribed, "Emeline Jane 
Eraser, infant," with no date or other detail. The record in 
volves one of life s tragedies. The Eraser Brothers Michael, 
Samuel, Frederick, Ronald, James and John Walter, had a 
sister Jane, who was killed at the age of 13 years, by a kick 
from a horse led by her uncle, Ronald McDonnell, a brother 
of her mother. One of her brothers, Ronald McDonnell 
Eraser who was named afier this uncle died soon after in 
1877 at the age of 42 years. The marble inscription has it 
Randal, but that is a mistake. The Eraser family plot is near 
the western end of the cemetery where they all rest side by 
side, with the exception of the mother who was buried in Ste. 
Anne s R.C. cemetery, Penetanguishene, and also excepting 
Samuel, who granted a large portion of his estate to the R.C. 
Church, Midland, for cemetery purposes in which his remains 
are laid. All have their marble tablets except Michael the 
last one deceased, who is, so far, without a memorial, not a 
member of the family remaining to erect one to his memory. 
There is also Frederick Lysaght Fraser, President of a 
Scientific Society, formerb; of Kingstown, Ireland, who died 
in 1872. He was some relative of the Frasers, on a visit to the 
family, but no one seems able to recall the visitor or that this 
distant post had ever been favored with the presence of so 
distinguished a person, which may be accounted for in the 



156 PIONEER PAPERS 



family home of the Erasers being at that time some distance 
away at the head of Ludlow s Lake on the Military road be 
tween this and Wyebridge. From the fact that his tombstone 
is in a line with the other Eraser monuments and in the same 
plot, it may be inferred he was a brother of the elder Fraser 
who died and was laid beside him only two days later. It 
will be recalled that Edward Fraser married a sister of Mich 
ael McDonnell, the fur trader, and died in Dec., 1872. In the 
next plot is Donald Ross Fraser of Inverness, Scotland, who 
died in 1863, ae. 50 yrs. He was a contractor at one time 
connected with the "Ontario Reformatory for Boys." 

In this part is also the grave of John P. Danforth of Bos- 
cawen, N.H., who died at Port Severn in 1864. He was for 
some time connected with the large lumbering interests at 
that port. His name recalls the early days of Toronto, as he 
is said to be a son of the pioneer, Danforth, who built the 
military road which still bears his name running east from 
York (now Toronto) in Governor Simcoe s time. 

Lying on the ground near by and shattered is the white 
marble tablet of Caroline, dau. of Sergeant Charles Schneider 
of the Incorporated Militia and of Jane Kettle, his wife, who 
died in 1846, the parents probably having followed the fort 
unes of the army and are quietly resting in some distant 
chuich-yard. 

Just behind the Chancel is the handsome but modest 
monument of Capt John Moberly, R.N., who died in 1848 and 
Mary Moberly, his Russian wife, who died in 1879. She thus 
survived her partner 31 years, during which period she wit 
nessed the capture of her native city, Sebastopol, by the Brit 
ish and French in 1855. With them lie the remains of an 
infant daughter, Sophia, and beside them is the memorial of 
a great grandson, recording the death of an infant son of Dr. 
and Mrs. Raikes of Midland, while the remaining members 
of a numerous family are scattered in distant regions. 

On the opposite side, a wooden slab, starting to decay, 
commemorates the death of Alfred F. Eggar, Esq., late Clerk 
in charge of H.M. Steam Sloop "Minos/ in 1847, ae. 29 yrs., 
a most estimable young man, taken in the prime of manhood. 
He is well remembered by older residents, as a pensioner for 
some time with Mrs. Wallace at the "Masonic Arms." 

A little further on is the memorial to Geo. Ludlow who 
died in 1862, and who gave his name to "Ludlow s Lake" 
near Midland Driving Park where he settled on the Military 



PIONEER PAPERS 157 



Road. He was with Admiral Bayfield during his survey of 
the North Shore in 1823-5. The late Mrs. John Smith of 
Midland who married a son of Ussher Smith of the Garrison 
was a daughter. 

Stepping across the path we face a shaft of Scotch gran 
ite inscribed to Sergeant John Dumars, died in 1861, aged 55 
years, with the striking and appropriate epitaph, "Rest Old 
Soldier, thy Warfare s O er." Though not given to drink, his 
end was connected with a "carousal and involved both 
tragedy and mystery. A party was given at the home of 
Sergeant Allen on the borders of St. Andrew s Lake, which 
his wife attended. During the evening he went over to 
escort her home, but was never seen again alive. His dead 
body was found next morning near the Allen home, wrapped 
in a woman s shawl with a cellar door lying on it. The myst 
ery was never solved. Sergeant Dumars allotment from the 
Government was where Capt. Madden s house now stands, on 
Church St. He was the father by his first wife of the present 
Mrs. A. Kennedy, who erected the memorial. 

Continuing on the same range we come to the grave of 
John Tindale, who died in 1867 and who was in a certain 
sense the rival of Geo. Ludlow, having later settled near the 
same lake, which was known for some years as "Tindale s 
Lake" and still later as "Devine s Lake/ but the original 
name was "Ludlow s Lake." 

Farther on, in the same range and in the extreme north 
east of the graveyard is the free-stone monument and family 
plot of the venerable rector himself, Rev. Geo. Hallen, a neat 
and modest shaft, with golden letters, inscribed as already 
noted. Beside them have been deposited one by one at various 
times the remains of their sons and daughters, except the late 
Mrs. Drinkwater, who rests beside her husband in the North- 
brook cemetery, and Mrs. Cole, widow of the late Rev. E. H. 
Cole, sometime rector of Whitby who at present is living in 
Toronto. 

To the right in the centre of the church-yard is a 
monument to Louisa Ann Darling, who died in 1888, ae. 8l 
yrs., erected by her sons. She was third daughter of Capt. 
James M. Hamilton by his second wife and married 1st, An 
drew Mitchell, 2nd, James Stewart Darling. 

Not far away is the memorial to Robt. Clarke, Sergeant 
of the 8lst Regt, who died in 1859, ae. 87 yrs., and to his wife, 
Elizabeth, who died in 1856. Beside them lie the remains of 



158 PIONEER PAPERS 



their son, George Clarke, who died in 1895, ae. 67 yrs., who 
will be remembered by many as Collector of H.M. Customs 
for several years here. 

Beyond them is the monument of Robt. Hark, a veteran 
of 90 years, and 4 months, who died in 1897, the first mason 
and bricklayer brought to the Garrison. Such are a few of 
the mortuary references which stamp with historic value the 
records of old St. James church-yard. 



CHAPTER XX. 

STE. ANNE S MEMORIAL CHURCH AND CEMETERY. 

The first Ste. Anne s Roman Catholic Church was erected 
in 1832, mainly through the instrumentality of Dedine Revol 
and Rev. Father Dempsey, missionary, and was the pioneer 
church of the "Rolling Sands" since its records reach back 
to 1835, thus antedating the Anglican St. James Military 
Church by two years. The humble predecessor of the present 
fine Jesuit Memorial structure, Ste. Anne s, was itself the 
modest successor of the church of the Immaculate Concep 
tion," the first wooden church erected in 1637, in connection 
with the early French missions at Ossossane beyond St. 
Patrick on the borders of Nottawasaga Bay, nearly 200 years 
before. A wampum belt now in possession of Mr. D. Mc- 
Cord, City Chamberlain of Montreal, is said to have on it 
among other devices a fac simile working or drawing of this 
pioneer wooden church erected of poles and bark at that early 
date at La Rochelle or Ossossane. 

The first Ste. Anne s was not completed till the latter 
part of 1833. and from the late Michael Labatte and others 
who helped in the construction of it, we learn that the church 
was built of cedar logs with tennons fitting into grooves and 
filling the spaces between upright posts, an improvement on 
the unsightly notched corners of the ordinary log building, 
due, doubtless, to De Revol who as catechist exercised gener 
al supervision and was progressive. Its dimensions were 2lft 
x 32ft. and stood on Roberts St. on the site now occupied by 
the town hall. The lot was presented for church and cemetery 
purposes by Pierre Giroux who will be remembered as hav 
ing later suffered amputation of both hands and feet from 
being frost bitten on his way from the Giant s Tomb. The 




THE FIRST BLOCK HOUSE, PENETANGUISHENE 

(SHINGLED FROM TOP TO BOTTOM) 

18 x 21 FT., BUILT IN 1815 



- ...- & 




THE FIRST CATHOLIC CHURCH OF PENETANGUISHENE 

DEDICATED TO ST. ANN, 1832 
(Bm.T OF Loos STANJHNC; ON END) 



PIONEER PAPERS 159 



bell belonging to the first Ste. Anne s, tradition says, was 
used originally in the chapel of Ste. Marie on Christian 
Island, where it was found in the ruins of the old fort about 
1832 by the Indians, who sold it to the military officers here. 
If this be true the bell must have lain there undisturbed 180 
years as Ste. Marie on Christian Island was abandoned by 
the Jesuits in l6si. Unfortunately for this romance, the 
figures 1799 in bold relief on the bell, indicating the date on 
which it was cast, rather discounts the tradition. Whatever 
its history, it is claimed that De Revol, with the assistance of 
some Roman Catholic friends, purchased the bell through 
Dr. Stratton who was surgeon to the Navy at that time and 
presented it to the church. It was transferred to the new 
frame church of Ste. Anne s which replaced the old log church 
in 1861, where it did duty till 1883 and now hangs beside the 
chimes in the tower of the Memorial Church. Bishop Alex 
ander McDonnell, the first R.C. Bishop of Upper Canada, paid 
a pastoral visit to Penetanguishene in February, 1832, and 
this visit was probably the instigation of efforts toward 
erecting the first church. Bishop McDonnell came to Canada 
from Scotland in 1804, raised the Glengarry Fencible Regi 
ment among his own people for the war of 1812-15, and be 
came its chaplain. He was the first to preach to his people 
in Belleville and at many other points, and is said to have 
spent $65,000 of his private patrimony in building churches, 
chapels and schools throughout Ontario. He died at Dum 
fries, Scotland, in 1840, in his 8oth year, having gone to visit 
his native land, and his remains were transferred to Kings 
ton in 1861. We have so far not been able to obtain any 
records of his visit here if there be any, but we know from 
the older residents that mass was said, followed by many 
communions, baptisms and marriages, several of the latter 
being re-marriages in which the principals had been prev 
iously married before witnesses only, when no regular priest 
was available. 

It was not till the autumn of 1833 that a resident priest 
was appointed to the mission of Ste. Anne s, when 
Lawrence Dempsey, a native of Ireland, was sent by Bishop 
McDonnell and through his efforts the log church was com 
pleted. He had labored here scarcely four months when he 
was taken suddenly ill on his way to Barrie and died at Mr. 
Lalonde s. For over three years previously Father Dempsey 
had labored as missionary among the destitute settlers of the 
Canada Company s tract, in the vicinity of Goderich, and In 



160 PIONEER PAPERS 



the Days of the Canada Company, p. 396, the Misses Lizars 
record this high testimony of his unselfish labors : "Rev. 
Father Dempsey a good man, beloved by Roman Catholics 
and Protestants he married, baptized and buried them with 
the utmost impartiality." Father Dempsey was cut off in the 
prime of his manhood and usefulness. 

There was a vacancy in the parish till Bishop Gaulin, co 
adjutor of Bishop McDonnell, paid a pastoral visit to his 
people here on Sept. 10th, 1835. Remi Gaulin was born at 
Quebec in 1787, appointed coadjutor of the Bishop of Kings 
ton and consecrated at Montreal in 1833, became Bishop of 
Kingston in 1840 and died in 1857. On his visit here in 1835 
he began the first book of records for Ste. Anne s in French. 
The first entry is the baptism of Edward Rosseau, son of J. 
B. Rosseau, after whom Lake Rosseau is named, and his wife 
Julie Lamorandier who died at the American Sault in IQIO, 
aged 100 years. One of the sponsors was Sarah Columbus, 
wife of Louis Columbus, the well-known armourer of the Gar 
rison. Bishop Gaulin on that occasion recorded the baptisms 
of over thirty children besides adults in addition to marriages 
and burials. 

An interesting episode was the meeting of Bishop Mc 
Donnell with the Columbus family, on his previous visit. The 
death of Christopher Columbus, the famous navigator, in 
1506, at Valladolid in Spain, his imposing funeral and the 
magnificent monument erected to his memory, had become a 
well known event nearing its tercentenary during Bishop Mc 
Donnell s clerical probation in that city. Among suppliants 
for his ministrations here he was greeted by a lineal descend 
ant of the noted discoverer in the person of Louis Columbus, 
immured in this far away outpost of the empire. Here was a 
surprise, recalling after the lapse of half a century the ex 
perience of his student days. 

Rev. Father J. Baptiste Proulx was appointed to the 
charge in October after the visit of Bishop Gaulin in 1835. 
Among the first of his entries in the register is the marriage 
of Marie Assance, daughter of Chief John Assance, who was 
drowned in 1847, having fallen from his canoe in the bay. 
He was a son of that Chief John Assance who signed the 
Treaty in 1815, surrendering 250,000 acres of land to the Gov 
ernment. 

Father Proulx was succeeded by Father Amable Charest 
of Batiscan, Quebec, in 1837, who served till 1854, dying at 



PIONEER PAPERS 161 



Three Rivers, Quebec. He was succeeded by various priests, 
at different periods, among them being Fathers Claude 
Ternet, Duranquet, Point, Nadeau and Hennipaux. During 
the incumbency of the latter, the large crosses throughout 
Tiny were erected, some of which are still standing. In i860 
Father J. P. Kennedy, a native of Toronto, was appointed to 
the parish, and he also became Chaplain of the Ontario Re 
formatory for Boys, then recently established. During his 
term the new frame church of Ste. Anne s was built in 1861, 
replacing the original log church of 1832, and it did service 
till replaced in turn by the present Memorial church in 1890. 
Father Kennedy, whose fate has already been recounted, was 
in charge till 1873. 

He was succeeded by the late Father Th. F. Laboureau, 
who was born in Dijon, France. He came to Canada in 1858 
and was ordained at Montreal in 1866. He labored at St. 
Catharines, Thorold, Niagara and other points till appointed 
to Penetanguishene where he labored continuously for 33 
years, till broken in health he was compelled to resign his 
arduous task in 1906. The present Presbytery was built by 
Father Laboureau in 1875 and through his instrumentality 
and labors mission churches were built at Port Severn, Wau- 
baushene, Victoria Harbor and Midland. Ste. Anne s Me 
morial Church, erected in honor of the martyred missionaries 
of the early French period. through his exertions, was under 
way in 1886, when the corner stone was laid by Archbishop 
Lynch in presence of Hon. John Beverly Robinson, Lieut.- 
Governor of Ontario, and a large assemblage of ecclesiastical 
and civil dignitaries, among them the Papal Ablegate, Mery 
del Val. Through the indomitable perseverance and energy 
of Father Laboureau, under difficulties, the edifice was carri 
ed to completion in 1902 and consecrated by Archbishop O 
Connor, of Toronto, assisted by Bishop McEvay of London 
and other dignitaries. Father Laboureau, shattered in health, 
having witnessed the completion of his project, resigned his 
charge and retired to Toronto, where he died in 1908. His 
remains rest in the cemetery near the sanctuary in the midst 
of the scenes of his labors. A beautiful memorial window in 
the church and a chime of bells in the tower attest the high 
esteem in which his memory was held by his people, while 
the edifice is his perpetual monument, to which circumstances 
and environment have conspired to impart a characier both 
historic and national. 

This sacred pile commemorates the deaths of Brebeuf and 



1 62 PIONEER PAPERS 

Lalemant who were tortured and burned at the stake at St. 
Ignace, Father Daniel who was slain and his body given to 
the flames of his burning church at Teanaustaye, Father Cha- 
banel who was murdered by his Huron guide and thrown into 
the Nottawasaga River, Father Gamier who was slain at 
Etarita during a sudden incursion of the Iroquois, and Father 
Jogues who founded the Mission of Sault Ste. Marie as an 
outpost of this Mission and ended his career of self sacrifice 
and torture at the hands of the Iroquois, and the sufferings 
and deprivations of the rank and file of those who traversed 
this region to carry the gospel to the Huron savage. Among 
the numerous sites in the vicinity, indelibly associated with 
the labors of these devoted men, are Karontaen or Carha- 
gouha which witnessed the first mass among the Hurons, 
Ouenrio where the fathers spent an anxious twenty-four hours 
in constant expectation of martyrdom by the Hurons as the 
supposed authors of the pestilence then raging, St. Louis, the 
scene of the last bloody conflict between the Hurons and 
Iroquois, and Ste. Marie on the Wye, the central mission, 
which the fathers committed to the flames at their departure 
from it. 

Ste. Anne s Cemetery, more especially the original site, 
like old St. James , was a veritable store-house of early 
records, and rather more so as it was established five years 
earlier, but was unfortunately removed in 1882 from the town 
hall site to the present location, leaving many of the earlier 
occupants in their first resting places. In consequence, much 
of its historic value has been lest. Among the earliest and 
most interesting of those transferred is that of Michael Mac- 
donnell, private secretary to Lord Selkirk, and sometime fur 
trader on Penetanguishene Bay, uncle to the Fraser brothers 
who inherited his land estates near Midland. He was also a 
Justice of the Peace. His epitaph reads : "The Lord have 
mercy on the soul of Michael Macdonnell, J.P., who died in 
1844, aged 56 years. Beside him lie the remains of his sister, 
Catharine Fraser, who died in 1866, aged 69 years, and whose 
husband Edward Fraser rests in St. James Cemetery. Cath 
arine Craddock Simpson, second wife of Wm. Simpson, Esq., 
died in 1865, aged 53 years. John Carty (McCarthy) a stone 
cutter engaged on the old Officers Quarters, died in 1867, 
aged 76 years. A monument to Rev. Patrick Kennedy, who 
with dauntless heroism sacrificed his own life to save another 
in 1873 at the early age of 39 years, bears the scriptural pas 
sage : "He shall feed his flock. John Donohoe died in 1879, 



PIONEER PAPERS 163 



aged 75 years, and beside him Mrs. Donohoe, recalls the old 
tavern on the original Garrison road (now obliterated), just 
behind Edmund Gendron s residence, Church St. Beside the 
monument of the Bradley family, lying side by side, are the 
marble slabs of their progenitors, Thos. Bradley, the grand 
father who died in 1873, aged 83 years, and Margaret his life 
partner, aged 78, with numerous descendants having their 
records on the monument. These were all transferred from 
the old cemetery. 

Of the many additions to the new cemetery, we note that 
of Wm. Baxter, who died May 9th, 1885, aged about 8l years, 
who will be remembered as one of the old-time teachers in 
the Public School for many years. The earliest was M. 
Quiminera who for some depredation made a thrilling escape 
to the region of Collingwood in a birch-bark canoe. This 
was in 1840 when the school was kept in a log house near the 
site of Wynne s store, but was later removed to a small log 
house near the present site of the Public School where it 
continued for many years until the latter was built. The 
monument to Rev. Philibert Ray who died in 1887, aged 53 
years, claims our notice. He was a native of Switzerland 
and was installed as R.C. Chaplain to the Reformatory, re 
taining the position but a few months when he passed away 
thus early. The next to claim our interest is that of Hypolite 
Brissette, who died in 1885, aged 103 years. He crossed the 
Rocky Mountains on foot and passed through some thrilling 
adventures in the service of the Hudson Bay Co. Beside him 
is his life partner, Archange la Hirondelle, a daughter of a 
Cree chief, born at Little Slave Lake and died at the age of 
85 years, July 2nd, 1891. Capt. William Moore Kelly, who 
died July 20th, 1896, aged 86 years, is well remembered as 
the first Warden of the Reformatory, appointed in i860 
through Sir Henry Smith and Mr. Mainnahan of Kingston. 
He was born in the county of Mayo, Ireland The Archbishop 
of Tuam was his uncle. Resting beside him is his wife Mary 
Matilda, born in the West Indies, died in 1901, aged 87 years. 
During the first year of Mr. Kelly s incumbency the "Reforma 
tory" was visited by Dr. Wolfred Nelson, the one-time ban 
ished Lower Canadian rebel, as Inspector, and Hon. D. A. 
McDonald, the latter reported as having lost a valuable gold 
watch near the old dock. Thos. McCrosson, who died April 
4th, 1905, aged 79 years, was the well-known successor of 
Capt. Kelly and the last Warden of the Institution while it 
was known as the "Ontario Reformatory for Boys." He was 
born in County Tyrone, Ireland, and was formerly editor of 



1 64 



PIONEER PAPERS 



the Toronto Tribune. Robt. J. Parker died July 20th, 1901, 
aged 72 years, although his epitaph says 75 years. He will 
be remembered as the first guard at the Reformatory, coming 
in 1860. He brought with him the first contingent of 40 boys 
from the Reformatory Prison of Isle aux Noix, Quebec, by 
way of Collingwood, housing them in the old Stone Barracks, 
afterward burned. Annie Gertrude Lemoine was one of the 
oldest and best-known residents here who died on July I3th, 
1902, aged 76 years, a member of the well-known literary 
family of Quebec and sister of Mrs. Kelly. Francis Dusome 
who was born in Red River, and died Mar. 3 1st, 1906, aged 90 
.years, was a veteran of the fur trade and formerly Harbor 
Master here. Joseph Messier was one of the old voyageurs 
who gave his name to Messier s Lake, and died July 10th, 
1892, aged 91 years, and Maria his wife who died June 10th, 
1894, aged 90 years. Sergeant James Quigley. one of an early 
contingent of soldiers who took up lands in Tiny, died Aug. 
I9th, 1886, aged 91 years. He was born in Londonderry, Ire 
land. His descendants still occupy the original lands. His 
wife was Scholastique, daughter of Pierre Thibault, who gave 
his name to the extinct Tebo s Lake near the Quigley farm. 
Genevieve Battineau, born at St. Polycarp, Quebec, came here 
among the earliest in 1840 and died June 6th, 1904, at the vener 
able age of 104 years and 8 months. She was the mother of 
fifteen children and lived under the reigns of five British 
sovereigns. 

The above are among the interesting and valuable 
records in which the Cemetery abounds, and to which various 
reminiscences have been added. 



[THE END] 



The Osborne Press, Midland, Ont.